The Fox and the Stars: A Skyward Adventure
by ZeroDivisionRaijin
Summary: A fateful meeting, arranged by the Force. One meeting was all it took to push Naruto onto his new path that would show him a brand new bigger world that he had no idea existed. The serenity of the Jedi and temptations of the Sith face him on his new adventure. Which path will he take? Will he bask in the Light or wallow in the Dark? Strong/Smart Naruto, F!Revan.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Another idea coming at ya! I'm back, kiddies, and this time, with a completely different crossover idea that I've been mulling over for quite some time now. Originally, this crossover was going to be with the Prequel films and would extend through the Originals and Episode VII, but then I just spontaneously decided to have this go through KotOR and KotOR II, then work from there. Hopefully, you all enjoy this one, as I had fun writing this one, as its combining two of my most favorite series ever. As always, kiddies, no flames, please!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto or Star Wars. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto and Disney respectfully.**

 **Chapter 1:** **The Wrath of the Gods**

One good thing about being assigned your personal _Centurion_ -class battlecruiser was, beyond the obvious martial advantage over almost every other ship of its class, was the spacious, ballroom-like bridge… at least, that's how Jedi Knight Meetra Surik felt as she silently meditated, her crew and officers knowing better than to interrupt a meditating Jedi unless something was _really_ important.

Clad in the traditional brown and tan garbs of the Jedi, she sat cross-legged upon the metal floor with her hands resting upon each of her knees, her eyes closed, obscuring her natural blue eyes from view, her short brown hair ending just at the nape of her neck and a serene expression upon her face as she slowly breathed in and out, feeling the living Force surround her. Apparently, she radiated an aura of calm, as she would momentarily zone back into her capital ship, the _Vanguard_ , and sense that the officers currently stationed in the bridge with her had a serene feel about them, which only made her break the smallest of smiles.

She and her fleet were currently engaged in hyperspace, heading back to the front after repairing and rearming at Coruscant, with their destination being Jaga's Cluster, as there were reports of a large Mandalorian force gathering for an attack.

Another smile creaked its way into formation as she once again felt the still calm of the bridge wash over her once again… only for the feeling to be halted when she felt a ripple in the Force… a ripple which soon turned into an aberrance, and an aberrance which soon turned into an echo. Biting down onto her lower lip as she strained to follow the echo back to its source, the Force only gave Meetra a fleeting glimpse of an unknown planet in an unknown sector of the galaxy.

"Get me a connection to Revan, immediately!" Her silky smooth voice barked out into the silence of the bridge before she could even stop herself. Blue eyes shone with worry as she stood from her meditative stance and over to her communications officer's terminal.

"While we're in hyperspace, General?" The comms officer asked, uncertain.

"Alert the fleet. Emergency stop." She ordered. "Then connect me to Revan. Flag transmission as urgent."

Within moments, her crew did as she ordered, with the _Vanguard_ and its support fleet of four _Hammerhead_ -class cruisers, two _Interdictor_ -class cruisers, and six _Foray_ -class frigates dropped out of hyperspace, guard positions already taken up as the _Vanguard_ and her crew went to work establishing a link to their supreme commander.

"Link established, General." The comms officer reported in after a few minutes of waiting.

"Good." Meetra sighed. "Connect me."

"Meetra." Came the voice of Revan himself over the comm. "Your transmission was flagged as urgent."

"Possibly more so than you believe." Meetra replied, brushing a hand through her brown locks. "Not long ago, I sensed an… echo in the Force. A strong one. I tried to follow it back to its source, but the only thing the Force showed me was a planet that I'm unfamiliar with."

"And your feelings tell you that there's a powerful Force Sensitive on that planet?" Revan asked, his voice conveying veiled interest, but interest nonetheless.

"Possibly one who's just now discovering their powerful connection to the Force. Revan, I know we defied the Council to fight this war, but my feelings are telling me that this is something that we must not ignore."

"You want to investigate this echo personally." Revan reasoned. "You want my permission to break from your current heading to follow this echo to this unknown planet…" Even though it was just a transmission, Meetra could all but feel Revan smiling now. "Without letting the Council know of a powerful Force Sensitive who's evaded their notice?"

"You know me so well." Meetra chuckled.

"How can I say no to this? Go and investigate this, Meetra. Alek and I will personally oversee Jaga's Cluster while you are to go and bring us another possible Jedi to fight in this damned war."

"Yes, sir." Meetra nodded.

"Good hunting, Meetra. Revan out."

"We have a new heading!" Meetra called out to her crew.

"Location, ma'am?" The navigations officer asked.

"Into the Unknown Regions. Our new task is to locate a wayward planet and claim it for the Republic. Commander Revan believes this planet could be of strategic value to us during this war, as it's been previously unexplored. The Mandalorians don't know about it, which means we could establish our presence there with no reprisal. A hidden base, as it were." She hated lying to her crew, but when it came to Jedi business, it was better to err on the side of caution. Besides, she wasn't _technically_ lying, since she was going to establish a presence there anyway.

"Any specific location within the Unknown Regions, ma'am?" The navigations officer once again asked, this time after a hesitation.

"Past Ilum. After that, we'll have to rely on the Force."

"Setting course for Ilum and transmitting vectors to the rest of the fleet." The comms officer declared as he went to work on his terminal.

"Calculating jump to lightspeed." The navigator reported.

"Vectors set and calculations made, General." Meetra's lieutenant reported in. "On your order."

"Let's go." Meetra ordered, and on her word, the entirety of her fleet jumped back into hyperspace, on course for Ilum and beyond.

 **(Elemental Nations: Same time)**

"N-Naruto…?" Questioned one Sakura Haruno after a hesitation. She had just seen the impossible… a Jinchuuriki had survived the extraction of their Bijuu.

When Madara had taken all of the Bijuu back into the Gedo Mazo (Gedo Statue), she was sure that Naruto would die, but upon Kurama being extracted, all Naruto did was stand there for a good ten seconds before zoning back into the fight. She had no idea what was keeping him alive, and she didn't really care at this point, because he was still alive and fighting, which was good enough for her.

"Sakura-chan!" He called out to her.

"H-Hai?!"

"Take care of our wounded! I'm going after Madara!"

"N-Naruto!"

It was too late. He had rushed off, headlong into danger, like he always did. He couldn't explain it, but he was feeling utterly _alive_. More alive than he had ever felt before. All of his senses had been lit up, he could hear things, see things, feel things, all better than he could before, everything was heightened and with this new feeling was mingled serenity. He was totally at peace with himself; he had an unshakable inner calm that he also couldn't explain… all he knew was that he was unbreakable now, and that Madara would pay for his crimes.

"You foolish child!" Cackled Madara as he stood atop the head of the Gedo Mazo. "Do you not know when your end has come?!"

"Keep talking, old man!" Naruto challenged with a smirk as he stood fearlessly against the now transforming statue in front of him. "Run that mouth straight into the ground, because that's where I'm planting you!" His already stunning blue eyes began glowing now. "For good this time!"

' _Go.'_ He heard an invisible voice pushing him onwards. This voice seemed to be emanating from deep inside his very being, and he didn't know why, but he heeded the voice.

He shot forward once again and planted himself onto the surface of the statue, noticing that he had just dodged an errant tree root that had erupted from where he had been previously standing. The voice was egging him onwards and still, he heeded it, traversing the height of the gargantuan monster in only a few seconds before hopping onto the head to engage the elder Uchiha personally.

"How did you survive the extraction, Uzumaki?" Madara queried. "Is your Uzumaki blood that strong?"

"I don't know, and I don't care!" Naruto glared at the man in front of him. "All I know is I've been given a second chance, and I'll make good on it!"

"Confidence borne of ignorance!" Madara declared, his one Rinnegan glowing ominously. "You will fall once again! No matter how many times you get back up, I shall just strike you down again and again!"

"Then come at me, bitch!" Naruto snarled as the blue glow in his eyes intensified.

Everything was moving in slow motion for him. That strange feeling of peace overcame him once again and begged him to surrender to its embrace. Slowly, he let his mind go numb with the feeling, he wasn't quite sure what was happening, but Madara could _not touch him_. Every punch, every kick, every Jutsu, all either missed or were intercepted by the now stoic blonde Uzumaki in front of him, whose defense was absolutely _flawless_. Madara had never seen anything quite like what the Uzumaki was showing off, not even Hashirama's defense was that perfect.

Left stunned by how utterly useless his advances were, Madara left himself quite open for attack, and Naruto took full advantage. Spinning a kunai out of his remaining pouch, he quickly closed in and plunged the weapon deep into the Uchiha's gut and wrenched the knife one good time, ignoring the blood now pouring from both the wound and Madara's mouth as he coughed up a glob of blood, then withdrew the knife, flipped it around to a reverse grip and stabbed once again… this time for the Uchiha's Rinnegan.

As the elder Uchiha screamed out in agony, Naruto withdrew his bloody kunai from the man's eye socket and leveled it at his throat. "Your fate is not for me to decide." He growled at the broken man. "Your war is over, teme (bastard). I win." And with that declaration, he flipped the kunai around into a proper stance and hit the man square in the forehead with the loop, knocking him out cold.

That was one problem taken care of… but the bigger problem, Naruto was now standing on top of. The Gedo Mazo was just about to transform into the Juubi once again, and he had not the slightest idea of how to destroy it.

That was when something very, _very_ strange happened. A large, dark gray triangular object appeared in the moonlit skies, blotting out the moon itself as it maneuvered into position, followed by slightly smaller floating objects. Those with the strange heads pointed themselves downwards, toward the Juubi, the smaller triangular objects took positions flanking the larger triangle and the other smaller floating objects in the sky took up positions around the ones with the strange heads.

As Naruto looked on in wonder, all hell broke loose. Red and green then rained down from the sky as the large and smaller triangles, along with the weird-looking head things and the smaller objects all began spitting colored fire down upon the Juubi in what he thought to be an assault from the Gods themselves. He very quickly collected the knocked out Madara and beat a hasty retreat back to the redrawn front lines that had been established shortly before the sky beasts began raining fire down upon the Gedo Mazo.

"What the hell are those things?" Asked Kiba as Naruto unceremoniously dropped Madara to the ground.

"Whatever these sky beasts are, they've saved us." Ino reasoned.

"Could the Gods have saved us?" Asked one Konoha Chuunin.

"Strange things are floating in the sky and are spitting out colored fire onto a thing that claimed to be a god!" An Iwa Jounin offered. "Of course the Gods would take offense to that!"

"The Gods can go shove it." A newly revived Sasuke scoffed. "I pray to no god, I bend the knee to no man or woman."

"Sasuke!" Tenten stepped up and admonished him. "Don't blaspheme in the presence of the Gods!"

"These things aren't Gods." Naruto shook his head as his new powers began to focus onto the larger triangle. "I can… sense something within the larger beast."

"What is it, Naruto?" Sakura asked as those within earshot now looked to him out of curiosity.

"I don't know." He fought for the right words. "There's… something calling out to me. I can't explain it."

"Look!" Lee called out. "Something's exiting the large triangle!"

Sure enough, dozens upon dozens of tiny dots were flying out of the belly of the beast, followed by more dots exiting the strange-headed beasts and the smaller triangular beasts. Some broke off to continue raining their fire upon what remained of the Gedo Mazo while the bulk of the dots swooped low and screamed across the landscape in a regular pattern, as if they were protecting something. These dots were revealed to be smaller beasts that also seemed to be able to fly like their bigger counterparts, and what they were protecting soon came into view.

What could only be described as a sky shark soon flew into view and began hovering a few meters off from the frontlines until it turned to its dorsal fin was facing them and slowly lowered itself to the ground where its backside seemed to open up. Everyone readied their weapons at the same time just as two, for lack of a better term, _humans_ came walking out dressed in strange metallic red, yellow and black armor and stood guard flanking the sky shark's open backside.

As if on cue, an absolutely _stunning_ woman walked out of the sky shark, her boots rapping gently against the apparent metal of the shark and her simple brown cloak fluttering gently against the cool night air of the battlefield. The instant she appeared, an aura of calm seemed to envelop the entire Alliance in a tidal wave. Weapons were lowered, held breaths were exhaled and a collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the battlefield.

Her beautiful blue eyes scanned the frontlines with a gentle edge to them; she was evidently searching for someone. When her eyes landed on the orange mess that was Naruto, her previously calm demeanor was replaced by a stunningly beautiful smile that left most of the male – and some female – Alliance soldiers blushing, including Naruto himself, as her attention was focused solely on him.

He could then feel something probing his mind. It wasn't invasive or intrusive, but still strange as after a mere few moments, the probing stopped and the woman opened her mouth to speak.

"We mean you all no harm whatsoever." She spoke in perfect Japanese. "We come in peace, and as a gesture of goodwill, we have destroyed the beast you all were fighting against just now."

"How can we trust you?!" Sasuke was the one who issued the challenge. "You've done nothing but kill a beast that was already dead, it just didn't know it!"

"I sense great darkness within you, boy." The woman's critical gaze now fell onto the last Uchiha, and it was _piercing_. "Darkness, untapped potential and a _lot_ of hatred." Her blue eyes then became cold. "You would be wise to watch yourself around me."

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out to him just as he snarled and charged the mysterious woman.

"Sleep." The woman commanded, and with but a wave of her hand, Sasuke immediately halted his charge and came to a sliding halt on the ground in front of her… fast asleep.

As the woman approached the sleeping Uchiha, Sakura dashed in-between them and crouched down in front of Sasuke, one hand holding a kunai and another checking for a pulse.

"What did you do to him, witch?!" The pinkette demanded.

"Check him." The woman calmly replied. "He's just sleeping, I have not harmed him, though I very easily could have."

"Calm down, Sakura." Naruto spoke up and a few eyebrows were raised at the absence of the usual honorific he attached to her name. "She won't hurt us; I can sense that she's telling the truth."

"What is your name?" Tsunade asked as she stepped forward and took control of the situation. "And why are you here?"

"My name is Meetra Surik." The now identified Meetra introduced herself with a bow. "And I am here… for you." She then pointed to Naruto.

Huh. Well, he certainly wasn't expecting probably the most beautiful woman he's ever seen to be there solely for him. That was definitely a first on his _long_ lists of firsts. Again, he could tell that she was telling the truth, he could sense no deception from her, and that was without having to use Sage Mode. But why was she there for him? Where did she come from?

Oh, he had tons of questions for her, and he could tell that things were about to become a _lot_ more interesting from here on out. But step one? Getting rid of the growing tent in his pants from just _glancing_ her way.

 **AN: Done! Hopefully you guys can forgive this new idea, but that seems to be my trend right now. It won't detract from the other stories that are higher on my priority list; I just wanted to get this one out here to see how you guys liked it. So, thoughts? Opinions?**

 **Gonna be honest here, I haven't thought of a solid pairing for Naruto for this one. On one hand, we have Meetra, but on the other, we have Bastila. Both are gnawing away at me rather viciously, while at the same time, we have the female companions from both games (sans Juhani) and possibly the Ice Queen herself, Atris. I can't make up my mind here, dammit! What do you guys think? Meetra? Bastila? Hell, maybe even Mission or Brianna? Opinions would be greatly valued! Give me good, solid reasons for or against your choice!**

 **This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: And here it is, kiddies! Sorry this one took a while, I had to attend to my three main stories while this one was set to the side temporarily so I could get the others out of the way. Fear not, this is** _ **NOT**_ **getting abandoned! Now, to address something before you all point it out: Yes, I am rushing this a bit, but that's only because I want to get to the parts you all want to read: Training, the fruits of the training, the end of the Mandalorian War and the events that leads up to KotOR 1 and 2. But enough blathering!**

 **Chapter 2: Do, Or Do Not…**

"I know of no other way to explain it to you, Lady Tsunade." Meetra patiently began while taking leisurely sips of the tea she had been given. "There's only so much that I can say to you that you'll understand, seeing as this planet has yet to be uplifted."

"So, you see us as primitives?" Tsunade challenged as she, Gaara, Ay, Mei and Onoki glared her down from their seats at the semi-circular table. "You show up in force with those floating beasts, hold us by the throat with a blade and expect us to hand over one of our ex-Jinchuuriki who could still serve that capacity very handily?"

"And you're saying that you're going to force Naruto to take up that mantle again?" This time the Jedi in front of them rose to the challenge, eyes peering sharply over the rim of her teacup. "What if he should desire to not become a Jinchuuriki? Will you still force it upon an unwilling boy?"

"I see no reason why Naruto would refuse." Onoki spoke up. "He and the Kyuubi were on favorable terms."

"You don't know what it's like to be a Jinchuuriki, Onoki-dono." Gaara mediated, speaking from experience. "Shukaku and I were willing to work together by the time the Akatsuki came for us, it's true, but I wouldn't want to take him back, nor would I wish that life on anyone, willing or otherwise."

"Shouldn't we leave it up to him?" Mei offered. "Surely he can think for himself and come to a decision without out politics interfering?"

"Nonsense." Ay shook his head. "We still need our Jinchuuriki. The boy may be in part a hero for capturing Uchiha Madara alive, but he still has a duty to fulfill and he should be expected to keep his oath as a Shinobi."

"Tread carefully, Lord Raikage." Meetra wisely counseled. "I sense much turmoil within you… I sense anger. Be mindful of those feelings."

"Don't tell me how to live my own life, witch!" He barked, his balled fist slamming down upon the table. "Be thankful we've decided to at least talk this out, as your demands are well out of bounds!"

"I stand with Mei-dono." Gaara once again stepped in. "We should let Naruto decide for himself."

"I agree." Tsunade nodded. "If he wishes to take back the Kyuubi, then so be it."

"And if he doesn't?" Onoki asked.

"Then we must accept his decision." Gaara pointedly stared at the aged man.

"And what about my request to take him?" Meetra decided to test the waters. "Will you at least consider it?"

"If he takes the Kyuubi back, then you may not have him." Ay glared hatefully at the woman. "If it were up to me, you'd not have him at all."

"And the others I mentioned?" She asked. "I sense at least four other Force Sensitives among Naruto's age group. If not him, then what about one of them?" She set her cup down and glanced from one Kage to another. "The war that's being waged in the greater galaxy right now demands that I leave with _something_ to present to Commander Revan."

"Haruno Sakura is my personal apprentice." Tsunade shifted in her seat with a frown. "She will not be going. Neither will Nara Shikamaru or Hyuuga Hinata, as they're the heirs to their respective clans."

"And Uchiha Sasuke is a war criminal that's to be tried and summarily executed for his actions." Onoki folded his arms across his chest.

"So no." Ay smirked victoriously. "You may not have any of them."

"That's up for them to decide, is it not?" Mei once again intervened. "We can't control them and we can't dictate their actions, they have free will."

"I think we've talked enough for one day." Gaara stepped in once he saw Ay scowling at the Mizukage. "I suggest a short recess."

"I agree." Tsunade nodded. "Gaara-dono, will you be the one to go to Naruto with all of this?"

"Of course, Tsunade-dono." Gaara was the first to rise, followed closely by Meetra as the two made their way out of the room.

"Is this council always so… divided?" Meetra asked the redhead as they walked side by side.

"Unfortunately, yes." Gaara sighed and nodded. "And with the war now being over, it seems we've no enemy left to fight but ourselves once again."

"I hope you understand, my Lord…" Meetra began cautiously, blue eyes flickering over to the Kazekage beside her. "My own war demands that I leave with Naruto in toe. The others I can ignore, but not Naruto."

"He's always been special." He chuckled fondly. "And he's always been meant for more than he's been given." As they rounded a corner, he cut his eyes towards the Jedi. "If you can make sure he's given what he rightfully deserves, then you'll have no quarrel from me."

"You must also know…" A bit more caution found its way into Meetra's voice. "I can sense none of those beasts you mentioned, those 'Bijuu'. Naruto can't take his back because there's nothing to take back… they're gone."

"… And you knew." An actual laugh escaped the usually stoic redhead. "Not even a day has gone by and you're already playing the Kage's Summit like a flute."

"The Force is ever a steadfast ally to those who listen to its will." Meetra simply smiled at her underhanded machinations. "And it's as I said: The war demands that I leave with him. He's the single most naturally gifted Force Sensitive I have ever met, save for my Commander, Revan."

"And what exactly is this 'Force' you speak of?" Gaara had finally asked the question that had been nagging at him.

Thankfully for Meetra, they had arrived at Naruto's apartment that had been graciously given to him by Mifune, as the Alliance was making a pit stop in the Land of Iron to rest and recover from the war. Overhead patrols of Republic fighters flew past at regular intervals, the _Vanguard_ sat in high orbit, silhouetted by the moon and flanked by two _Hammerhead_ -class cruisers. The two _Interdictor_ -class cruisers patrolled the mid-orbit skylines alongside four of the _Foray_ -class frigates and the two remaining _Hammerhead_ -classes reinforced the fighter patrols on a low orbit course alongside the other two _Foray_ -classes.

Meetra was used to the sound of engines screaming by overhead, but Gaara wasn't; every time a fighter patrol would pass, his sand would instinctually slither out of his gourd to protect him from harm and would then recede when the patrols passed harmlessly by. As he steadied his breathing once again, Gaara opened the door to Naruto's apartment to find him cross-legged on the floor in meditation.

"Am I interrupting?" Gaara spoke up softly, oblivious to the smile on Meetra's face at seeing the blonde meditating.

"Not at all." Naruto shook his head with his own smile. "Couldn't sleep, so I figured do the next best thing."

"I think everyone's been having trouble sleeping lately, what with our new visitor arriving."

"I apologize for my fleet." Meetra bowed her head. "They're merely doing their duty and following my orders."

"And I apologize for interrupting your meditations, Naruto." Gaara also inclined his head. "I bring news from the Kage Summit."

"They've already come to a decision?" He sighed wearily. "That was fast."

"They ask if you'd be willing to take back Kurama." Gaara clarified. "But…"

"He's gone." Naruto shook his head. "I'd know if he survived what those things up there did." He paused, gesturing out his window to Meetra's ships. "No, he's gone. As are the rest of the Bijuu."

"They also said that if you refused, then you were free to go with Meetra here, should you wish it."

"You, and hopefully a few of your friends." Meetra smiled serenely, which put Naruto at ease. "I have Gaara's support, and hopefully Lady Mei's support as well. Your Hokage, Tsunade, might not object so long as you make it clear that this is what you want."

"Is it what you want?" Gaara asked.

At this question, Naruto let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. That odd feeling returned again, that strange power that welled from inside him; that gave him the ability to match and defeat Madara, was now calling out to the woman who stood beside Gaara; it was the same feeling he got when she first arrived. He felt like he had to stay around to help the reconstruction effort, but deep down, something was screaming at him to go with this woman.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes and regarded the two people in front of him. "I do." He nodded. "I want to go, though with much hesitation… this is my home, after all, and we've just come out of a war."

"I understand." Meetra nodded sagely. "But it is as Gaara stated to me earlier; you're very special, Naruto, and you're meant for greater things. I believe I can help deliver you to your destiny."

"There's nothing more that I can do here, anyway." He sighed. "I'm a hero, sure, but without Kurama, I'm at a disadvantage insofar as my Shinobi career is concerned."

"We'll make sure you're back in fighting shape, Naruto." Meetra reassured the boy. "Now, we must make council with a few more of your friends who have the same latent power that you have."

"I'll take my leave, now." Gaara bowed to the pair, then turned on a heel and left.

"Who are we going to be talking to?" Naruto inquired.

"Sakura, Shikamaru and Hinata." She responded, listing off the names from memory. "We're to ask them if they wish to travel with us."

"Sakura's going to say no." He began walking, but nevertheless kept the conversation going. "The only thing that would have her even remotely consider leaving would probably be Sasuke's death."

"And your other two friends?" Meetra decided against telling him of Sasuke's mock trial.

"Shikamaru's the heir to the Nara clan and I doubt Shikaku would allow his son to just up and leave." He paused for a breath. "Hinata, however, I'm not sure about. She has a sister that could replace her, but she's very hard to read. She might go with us or she might not."

"I sense that she will." Naruto noted that there was a tone suggesting some ulterior motive, but he didn't comment on it. "And I also sense that Sakura will follow us. The only enigma remaining is Shikamaru."

"Your opinion on him?" Naruto asked out of curiosity.

"I think…" And just as Meetra was about to render her opinion, she immediately shut her mouth and her right hand shot up to caress her head. "A disturbance in the Force… something's happened both here and with…" She strained to track the faraway disturbance, but when she did, her eyes became widened. "Revan!"

"What's happened?" At this point, Naruto was completely lost.

"He…" She paused to find her voice. "He actually… _lost_ a battle!"

"It sounds like we can't linger here any longer, then." He reasoned. "I know this place better than you; I can go and collect them together so we can ask them all at once."

"… You won't have to."

As Naruto was about to ask what she meant, Sakura came barreling around a corner, and as soon as she saw him, she ran straight towards him and all but collapsed into his arms, tears streaming down her face and hands balled into the fabric of the front of his jacket.

"He…" She sobbed and sniffled. "Naruto, they…"

"What's happened?!"

"Sasuke-kun…" She continued sobbing. "They killed him!"

"They WHAT?!"

"T-They… they murdered him, right in his cell!" She screamed. "And I… I…"

"Sakura…" The severity of the situation began to dawn on him. "You didn't…"

"I killed his guards; I killed the one who killed him…" Her voice dipped to just above a whisper. "I killed them all…"

"… We have to go." Meetra pressed. " _Now_."

"Right." Naruto nodded and promptly began leading a distraught Sakura to Meetra's shuttle, where they ran into Hinata, Shikamaru, along with Ino and Konohamaru surprisingly. "Guys?" He regarded them.

"Standing orders are to arrest Sakura on sight and prevent you from leaving, Naruto." Shikamaru took charge of the situation. "But those are orders I cannot and will not follow."

"I'm with you as well, Naruto-kun." Hinata nodded.

"Things have gone to shit around here." Ino huffed. "Besides, if Shika's following you, someone here has to be the responsible one."

"Konohamaru?" He finally regarded the boy.

"I'm still your student, Boss." Konohamaru leveled a determined stare up as his 'sensei'. "I go where you go."

"Well then, we have two extras." He lightly chuckled despite the situation.

"Regardless, we must leave as soon as possible." Meetra pressed. "Revan needs my help; he needs me back in the fight…" As she walked up the loading ramp of her shuttle, she motioned for the group of six to follow.

As soon as they boarded, the two Republic troops flanking the ramp loaded onto it as well, the ramp raising upwards and locking into position after they did so. The shuttle then began to lurch slightly as its engines were powered up, while the group inside took this time to strap in… or in Naruto's group's case, took the time to be strapped in by the Republic soldiers. Almost immediately after they were strapped in, the shuttle lurched once again, its engine roaring to full power as it lifted off the ground and began its flight upwards, the stray kunai and shuriken bouncing harmlessly off of its hull as they made their escape.

"Make for the _Vanguard_ and order ahead to the fleet to break orbit and get into positions." Meetra advised the pilot of the shuttle as she unstrapped herself from her seat. "We make for Jaga's Cluster to meet up with the Commander."

"What of our new additions, General?" The pilot asked at just about the time that dry heaving noises filled the entire shuttle. "Pass around air sickness bags?"

"Immediately." She sighed, completely forgetting that her new guests were not accustomed to extra-orbital flight, let alone flight in general. "Though I want them on the bridge with me when we board; they have to witness us going to lightspeed for themselves."

The flight up to high orbit was rather quick, and about the time the shuttle boarded, the fighters were now all in their respective berths and the fleet had come back together. After recomposing themselves, Naruto and his group merely waited for the back of the shuttle to open as they'd seen a few times before, with Sakura sitting a reasonable distance away from any of them, save for Naruto, who she felt safest around at the moment. The rest of the group, minus Konohamaru, saw and made note of this, figuring they'd give the pinkette some space, seeing as she had just witnessed an execution, killed the people responsible, then had to flee her home planet with a woman she barely knew nor wanted to trust.

Meetra, having felt the girl's anxiety, began subtly pushing a calming aura through the air to not only put her, but the entire group at ease, which seemed to work as when the shuttle opened up, Konohamaru was the first to hop up and run down the loading bay door and onto the _Vanguard_ proper, staring at everything in revered awe. Next to depart was Naruto, followed closely by Sakura, as he too stared around at the hangar bay before wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulders when she moved into him.

As Shikamaru, Ino and Hinata departed, Meetra passed them on her way out, passed by Naruto Sakura and Konohamaru as well as she began issuing out orders to the bay crew before turning to look up at bay control.

"Lock the hangar down for hyperspace travel and alert the bridge that I'm on my way up." She spoke, knowing bay control would be able to hear her, then regarded her charges. "Follow me, please."

Not wanting to get lost inside this sky beast, Naruto and group wisely followed her closely as she and a few Republic solders led them through the winding halls and up to the turbolift that would take them to the bridge. After being ushered in, the group found themselves shuddering for the second time as the turbolift lurched and began its ascent towards the bridge. Very quickly, the ride was over and they were ushered into a couple more winding hallways, and then… it happened.

They came upon the bridge and if they were amazed before, now they were completely floored by the spacious room and the sweeping view of their planet as seen from on high. Naruto was the first to take a tentative step forwards onto the bridge, as Meetra was purposefully hanging back so he could take it all in; so they all could. A few more steps forward was when Naruto broke into a full run to approach the opposite end of the bridge, whereupon he came to a skidding halt and merely stared at the grand view in front of him, carefully studying the geography of his home in a way that he was sure no one before him had ever seen. It was a moment that deeply touched him, it moved him in a way that only Meetra could sense… he felt like he was more in tune with the Force now that he was off the planet, something that the young Jedi Knight smiled at as she walked the entire distance of the bridge until she came upon the star struck blonde.

It was deathly quiet on the bridge; the only sound being made had previously been the soft footfalls of Meetra's boots upon the metal of the floor. She placed a hand upon his shoulder and shared the experience with him, smile never faltering.

"Take this moment in, Naruto." She advised. "Your first moment in space, seeing the planet you came from… it's a humbling experience, no?"

"This is amazing." Naruto managed to find his voice, his eyes still as wide as saucers.

"It's a moment that will forever be with you." She was speaking from experience. "Take this in, burn it into your brain; for this may be the last time you see this place for a very long time."

"I'll remember the place…" He began. "But not what happened upon its surface, however." He was now frowning.

After nodding in understanding, she turned to her lieutenant. "Bring us about and calculate the jump."

"Destination, General?" The navigator spoke up.

"Jaga's Cluster, to reinforce Commander Revan and Alek."

As the _Vanguard_ turned and faced away from the planet, the rest of the group had approached and were now staring out into the stars, into the infinite expanse that was the universe as a whole… before the stars soon became white and blue lines which then turned into a hole at the end of which seemed like total darkness. Their responses varied.

Ino had fainted, along with Hinata, Shikamaru was still trying to keep his lunch down, Konohamaru was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement, Sakura was still clutching to Naruto for support and Naruto himself felt strangely at peace with it all, like he belonged here. Even when his group were all collected and sent to their temporary quarters, he stood there with Meetra, merely staring into the blue bordered hole that was hyperspace. They didn't know for how long they stood there, but eventually the trip through hyperspace ended and replacing the hole was an _Interdictor_ -class cruiser surrounded by a massive support fleet.

This was when an even greater echo began calling out to Naruto, though he didn't know what it was or why he was feeling it. All he knew was that Meetra was now dragging him off of the bridge and back to the turbolift.

"Are we gonna gather the rest of my friends?" He asked as they entered the turbolift.

"No." Meetra shook her head. "This is a meeting that only you may be present for; my entire reason for arriving at your planet was _you_ , and only _you_ may meet Revan."

"You keep mentioning this 'Revan' person." He noted. "Who exactly is he?"

"My superior officer, a peer within the Jedi Order and a close friend." Was all she said, and for the entire duration of the trip back to the hangar bay, the conversation never picked back up.

Soon enough, they returned to the shuttle and took off once again, their destination being the _Interdictor_ -class cruiser at the very heart of the fleet. It was a rather short trip and it was a rather uneasy walk towards its bridge, as the entire way there Naruto couldn't help but feel an oppressive force throughout the ship, as if there were something hiding among the shadows of the ship, waiting to spring a trap… and this feeling only grew in intensity the closer he got to the bridge. Finally, as the doors to the bridge opened, Naruto froze in his tracks when he saw the individual standing at the far end of the room, arms folded over his chest, brown cloak obscuring most of his form and his face hidden behind some kind of mask.

This man practically radiated power, and when Naruto stared into his mask, it was like looking into the depths of a hurricane. So enraptured was he that he missed Meetra stepping forward, bowing as she did so.

"Revan." She spoke. "I've returned, and my mission was a resounding success."

"So I see." Revan spoke, and even his voice carried a power behind it to Naruto's ears. "This is the source of the echo, then?" He gestured to the boy in question.

"Yes." She nodded, then gestured for Naruto to step up, which he did.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, sir." Naruto introduced himself, then bowed much like Meetra.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Despite his mask, Naruto knew that the man's attention was solely on him, evident when he felt that probing sensation within the back of his mind again. "I see." He finally said after a few moments of contemplative silence. "I can sense your potential, youngling. You'd make a fine Jedi."

"Like Meetra here?" Naruto asked.

"Indeed." Revan nodded. "It was her mission; to seek you out and potentially recruit you into our Order."

"Revan and I both can see your potential, Naruto." Meetra mediated. "Praise like this is not easily given, much less from Revan himself."

"So…" He mulled it over. "I'd be able to do the mind probe thing you two have done to me?"

"By utilizing the Force, yes." She nodded. "Which that's what you'd be doing anyway; learning how to control the Force."

Well, he had come this far; no sense in stepping down now. So, with a shrug, he nodded. "I accept, then."

"Excellent." Revan seemed to be smiling beneath his mask. "Meetra, since you first felt the echo and since you went out of your way to find him, you get the privilege of being his Master."

"Thank you, Revan." Meetra smiled and bowed once again.

"All I ask is that you train him well." Revan then regarded the new addition to the Order. "And you, Naruto, listen to your new Master. She is powerful and deceptively wise; she will be a great teacher and you a great student."

"I'll try my best." Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"There is no try." The masked Jedi wisely counseled the new apprentice. "An old, wise short green fellow used to tell me that all the time."

"Master Vandar?" Meetra managed a giggle. "Of all the masters, you quote him?"

"Would you rather I quote Vrook's endless droning and harping?" Revan retorted. "Or Dorak's history lessons? Or maybe Master Kae would suit you better…?"

"I get it!" She huffed as she turned on a heel. "Come, apprentice!"

"Y-Yes, Master!" Naruto didn't know why he referred to Meetra as such, again it felt natural. "What about my friends?"

"Revan will judge them as well." She explained. "In due time, they'll get their audience with him and he'll deem them fit or unfit to join us."

"And what about me?" He asked.

"We begin your training, apprentice." She flashed him a smile that brought a blush to his cheeks once again.

He had a feeling that this new road that he was on would be a challenging one. He was starting over from square one, a new life among the stars, and he'd have it no other way. Yes, he missed his home, but after the events which led to his departure, a small part of him was glad to be off of that rock… and when he saw his new master smile, something inside of his stirred, as if reassuring him of his decision…

… or that may have been the tent in his pants rearing its head once again. He _really_ had to stop that from happening, dammit!

 **AN: And done! What did you guys think of this one? Again, to clarify, if it seems like I'm rushing, I'm doing it on purpose, so I hope you can overlook it for now. We now have others in on the Jedi action, meaning more outlets and opportunities for the Dark Side to sink its roots in. Will it happen? Only time will tell!**

 **Now, pairings. After much deliberating with myself, Meetra is definitely in. Question is, should this be a single pairing, or should I add a second girl? Mind you, this will not be a massive harem story, and if I were to add anymore girls, it would only be one more for a threesome. With Meetra in the picture, who do you guys think should be the second girl? Mission? Brianna? Visas? Hell, maybe even Sakura or Ino? Hinata will** _ **NOT**_ **be an option, as I have plans for her and such plans don't involve a romance subplot with our favorite blonde knucklehead. Give me some good opinions for your choice on girls or why you think it should be a single pairing!**

 **This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Well, I** _ **did**_ **say anything could happen and guess what: A new story and a bout of inspiration for an update for this one! Here I am, ladies and gents, with Chapter 3. Hope you can forgive the delay, but I had my main stories to attend to. Hopefully this one's up to standard. Oh, fair warning here, things get a bit serious and set up events yet to come. Also, I know Dxun happened before Jaga's Cluster, but for the purpose of the story, I changed around the order of those two particular battles. After Dxun is finished, it's on to Malachor for Naruto!**

 **Chapter 3: Training and the Dark**

He was at peace. It was a strange feeling, being completely at peace, but it was not unpleasant. He was at peace and he could _feel_ the entire ship around him; he could feel all of the souls aboard, he could feel the ebb and flow of their emotions and most importantly… he could feel the living Force as it flowed through them and the ship. As he sat cross-legged upon the metal floor of the bridge of the _Vanguard_ , Naruto broke into a barely visible smile when he felt the entire bridge breathe a sigh of relief as he experimented by pushing his aura throughout the area. Tensed muscles relaxed, unvoiced worries disappeared and the overall atmosphere of the bridge shifted into an almost trance-like serenity.

"You're overdoing it, Padawan." The soft, angelic voice of his Master whispered to him as she sat beside him, meditating with him. "Don't want the entire bridge falling asleep on us."

"I apologize, Master Surik." Naruto quickly whispered an apology before reigning back in his aura to a more acceptable level. "Sometimes I forget my own strength."

"So long as you mind it." He could tell Meetra was smiling, despite his eyes being closed.

"Yes, Master." He returned the smile, knowing she could also feel it.

Everything went silent once again as Padawan and Master refocused upon their meditations in order to pass the time. It had been nearly eight months since Naruto and his group had been accepted into the fold by Revan and since then they all had begun their studies in one field or another. While Naruto was Meetra's foremost Padawan, Sakura had also been accepted as another of her Padawans. Revan had taken an interest in both Shikamaru and Ino had accepted them as his Padawans while Hinata went with Alek. Konohamaru, being the youngest, went into a cadet program and was still awaiting his call from either Revan, Alek or Meetra.

In the months that had passed, most had flourished under their respective Masters. Shikamaru, being the tactician that he was, found himself to be a gifted learner under Revan while Meetra had guided both Naruto and Sakura at the same time, teaching them both most of what she knew. Ino, while initially hesitant, proved to be the quickest study of them all. Hinata and Alek, however, seemed to not get along, as her pacifistic nature was a polar opposite of what the Mandalorian War had turned Alek into. He wished for her to be a warrior without peer while she wished to avoid fighting whenever necessary. For that reason, Alek had denied her the opportunity to construct her lightsaber, an opportunity that had been afforded to everyone else, save her… of course, that didn't stop the other Padawans from tutoring her anyway, in secret of course.

Idly, he felt Meetra shift beside him, but paid it no heed; she was still a Jedi General and she was still one of Revan's top commanders, so she undoubtedly had something important to see to. Minutes ticked by until he felt his Master approaching, then finally opened his eyes when he heard something being laid in front of him.

"Time for this again, Master?" He sighed as he eyes the small bundle in front of him.

"Of course." Meetra smirked. "You can construct it with your hands well enough, but I want to see you construct it using the Force."

Undaunted, Naruto reached out with the Force and willed the bundle to be untied, revealing the deconstructed components of his lightsaber. Though he untied the bundle well enough, he knew that this next task was far from trivial. He had to perfectly visualize his weapon in his head, he had to have every inch of it memorized from top to bottom and he had to have precise control over the Force for such intricate components to fit seamlessly together without physical contact. This was something he had attempted twice before yet failed both times… third time's the charm?

"There is no emotion…" Naruto began to recite the Jedi code aloud as he zoned back into his meditation, mentally picturing his weapon.

Slowly, each component began to levitate up from the bundle and slowly began orbiting around his form as he focused in on his task. The first few pieces clicked into place without incident, followed by the next few. Three minutes had passed and as Meetra watched, she could see her Padawan beginning to strain from such precise control over the Force. She would not interfere, however, as this was a test of both his control of the Force and his mental fortitude, as well as his memorization of his own lightsaber.

Another three minutes lapsed by and the lightsaber was nearly complete; all that was left was the most important task of setting the crystals in, securing them and reattaching the lens. Careful he was when setting the crystals, making sure that they both were in perfect alignment, and finally reattached the lens and finished construction.

"Only one way to test your work, Naruto." Meetra called out to him. "Activate it."

Standing with a few beads of sweat upon his brow from the concentration, Naruto let his weapon fall into his waiting right hand and immediately his thumb hesitated as it hovered over the ignitor. There really was only one way to check, and he knew it, so after recomposing himself, Naruto took in a breath and hit the ignitor with his thumb. Immediately, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber activating perfectly resonated throughout the bridge, raising a few heads from the bridge crew and enticing a relieved sigh from Naruto as he stared at the burnt orange blade in front of him.

"Excellently done, my Padawan." Meetra praised as she placed a hand upon his shoulder with a smile. "As you might have suspected, this was another test of your control over the Force and you passed with flying colors."

"Thank you, Master." Naruto returned the smile as he deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it upon the left side of his belt. "What now, more tests?"

"A Jedi is ever being tested, Naruto." She wisely counseled her young charge. "And I have every confidence in your continued success; both I and Revan have placed our faiths in you because we see something special inside you."

"Funny how Alek manages to not see it." He lightly scoffed.

"The war has made Alek..." Meetra paused to find the right word. "Jaded. He cares only to end the war as swiftly as possible, as do we all."

"What's to happen to myself and my friends after the war, though?" He asked. "We haven't exactly been approved of by the Council…"

"The Council would be foolish to not accept you all into the fold." She folded her arms under her breasts. "Each and every one of you are remarkably strong in the Force, even young Konohamaru. You have so much to give to the Order that it would be nothing short of insanity for the Council to reject you."

"The future is ever changing, Master." Naruto smirked at the opportunity presented. "Nobody knows what the Force has in store for us."

"Using my own teachings against me." Meetra's crooked grin belayed her light glare. "Both devious and resourceful of you, Naruto."

"I _am_ your student after all, Master." He mock bowed at her, still smirking.

"General!" The communications officer spoke up from his terminal. "Message coming in from Commander Revan."

"Holo or audio?" Meetra asked, her face now stone cold as if a switch had been flipped.

"Holo this time, Ma'am." The comms officer answered.

"Project it, Lieutenant." She turned to face the sweeping viewport just as a glowing blue holographic image of Revan popped into view, albeit after a bit of static from the hyperspace interference.

"Meetra." Revan nodded to his top lieutenant and then inclined his head in an acknowledging gesture to her Padawan. "Naruto. How goes your training, my young friend?"

"Master Surik is an exemplary teacher, General." Naruto bowed his head respectfully to both his Master and his General. "Truly, I'm blessed and fortunate to have met her; she's expanded my horizons, taught me about the greater galaxy and most importantly shown me the ways and higher mysteries of the living Force."

"And you, Meetra?" Despite his mask, Meetra knew that Revan's gaze was now on her. "Do you share the reverence he has for you?"

"Naruto's the perfect student for me." Meetra nodded with a bright smile as she brushed a few stray strands of her hair out of her face. "He's like a sponge; whatever I show and teach him, he absorbs it in no time flat." She then paused for a sidelong glance at her blonde Padawan. "It also helps that he's a kinesthetic learner; cuts down on the lecture time and doubles our sparring time. It keeps me sharp while also allows me to more directly impart what I know to him."

"And what of Miss Haruno?" Revan asked.

"Sakura's more comfortable sitting down with a datapad than in the barracks training with Naruto and I, but she does join us every now and then to keep her skills with a saber just as sharp as her mind." Meetra explained as she settled into what seemed to be a thinking pose as she listed everything off. "While she dwarfs both Naruto and I in physical strength because of her previous training with her previous Master, I initially assumed she'd be a natural with a lightsaber."

"And that's turned out to not be the case?" Revan asked, seemingly curious.

"She's a medic, Revan. Plain and simple." Meetra's blue eyes met the T visor of her superior. "A medic and a deceptively quick thinker. While she's not at all lacking on the martial front, her real strength lies in her wits and her skill as a healer."

"So, she's destined for the Consular path." Revan surmised. "And Naruto here is destined to be a Guardian."

"What of Shikamaru and Ino, General?" Naruto asked on impulse. "What is your assessment of them?"

"Well…" It was Revan's turn to settle into a thinking pose. "Ino's also a medic, but she's more martial-minded. Her natural speed and flexibility are what make her so deadly with a blade and to top it off, her prowess with the Force is on equal grounds with her saber skills. To top it off, her family's technique allows her to enter a person's mind; take that ability and enhance it with the Force and we have an expert interrogator on our hands."

"And Shikamaru?" Meetra asked.

"Like Sakura, Shikamaru's greatest strength is his mind. His laziness has hindered his progress with a lightsaber, but he's at least passable with it for the time being. That being said, he's absorbed everything from all of the datapads I've put in front of him and his analytical abilities have won him every simulated war game I've put him through." He paused, as if he were debating whether or not to say something. "He might, _might_ , be a latent practitioner of Battle Meditation."

"Bastila's the only other Jedi I've heard of with that kind of ability." Meetra's eyes widened at the implications. "Revan, if this turns out to be true…"

"I well know the implications here, Meetra." Revan raised a halting hand. "We'll find out soon enough, at Dxun."

"Dxun?' Naruto asked. "Onderon's largest moon and the Mandalorian's main base of operations?"

"You _have_ been keeping up with your studies." Revan praised, smirking beneath his mask. "Yes, that's our next target in this damnable war and just so happens to be the reason behind my contacting you, Meetra."

"If this is about Dxun…" Meetra paused to turn to her comms officer. "Get someone to tell Sakura to get up here, ASAP."

"Yes, General." The comms officer saluted.

"While we wait…" Revan sighed once more. "Naruto, you should know that Hinata is _not_ taking to Alek's teachings. At all."

"I'm aware, General." Naruto nodded. "She's a pacifist at heart. Combine her gentle nature with having to abandon our home system, she's well out of her element and she's afraid."

"That, and Alek isn't the most gentle or understanding of teachers." Meetra added with a bit of a scoff.

"If that's the case…" Again, Naruto could feel Revan's gaze on him… along with what he swore was a smile. "How did she build her lightsaber? Alek came to me one day with her confiscated lightsaber, saying that he didn't authorize her to build one nor did he intend to."

"I wonder…" Naruto put on an innocent face, though both he and Revan were on the same page regardless.

"Whoever helped her build it surely did make Alek blow a gasket." Revan continued, his voice now conveying a knowing sarcasm as he shrugged. "Almost as if the mere act of helping her would knowingly set him off. I know of no one who would so fiendishly compromise a bond as deep as Hinata and Alek's…"

"You two were born to be brothers…" Meetra sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "By the Force, there are two of you now…"

"Master!" Naruto dramatically admonished as his right hand shot up to his chest, over his heart. "Your words sting my very soul!"

"I resent this accusation, Meetra." Revan chuckled as he folded his arms over his chest. "Besides, Naruto would only be _half_ of me, considering his height."

"You're only a few feet taller than me yourself!" Naruto glared at the blue hologram in front of him.

"You're annoying the General!" A voice broke the moment.

Immediately, Naruto jumped high into the air, dodging the fist that was aimed to his head in the process, then spun while mid-air and landed behind his ambusher with his still inactive saber in hand and a smirk splayed across his face.

"You'd have died there, Sakura-chan." He chided. "You'll get me next time, I'm sure."

"Good of you to join us, Sakura." Revan nodded his head upon her entrance.

She and Naruto were wearing the traditional garments of the Jedi, though Naruto's tabard was a brown color, his tunic was a dark orange color and his pants were of a similar color to his tabard, tucked into his hardened black boots and his robe was colored brick red.

Sakura's tabard was a deep red while her tunic was a more traditional brown color, her pants matched her tabard at a red color and were tucked neatly into a pair of brown boots while her robe was a deep brown. She had grown her pink hair out slightly, as it now reached just below the nape of her neck.

As she bowed, her robe fluttered slightly. "I apologize for holding you up, General."

"No need to apologize, Sakura." Revan waved her off as she rose from her bow. "Now that you're here, however…" He paused to turn off screen and nodded. Immediately after, two familiar faces phased into the holo-projector's view. "We can all be here for this."

"Ino, Shika!" Naruto greeted them with an excited smile and a wave. "How are things on your end?"

"Can't complain." Shikamaru shrugged. "Apparently, some big offensive's coming up and we need all hands on deck, so I'm here."

"I had to drag his lazy ass out of bed for this meeting." Ino scoffed as she folded her arms under her breasts.

Because of the nature of the hologram, neither Naruto nor Sakura could make out the colors of their attire, though it was apparent that they were both wearing the traditional Jedi garb.

"What of Alek and Hinata?" Meetra asked as her eyes flickered between Revan and his two Padawans. "Should they not be privy to this as well?"

"They already know the plan." Revan answered. "I conferred with them before hailing you three."

"So, what's the plan?" Naruto asked. "What do we have in store for Dxun?"

"Full-scale invasion." Shikamaru answered for his Master. "Blockade the system, surround both Onderon and Dxun, throw as many bodies as we can into the fray and hopefully either end this war or bring the Mandalorian infrastructure down around them in a burning heap, thereby shortening this war and preparing for a final battle."

"And what parts will we play in this?" Sakura spoke up.

"The main focus will be Dxun; Onderon is a secondary objective but still vital." Revan answered this time. "While I shall be directing both assaults from orbit, you, Meetra, shall be coordinating the assault on Dxun personally while Alek shall be overseeing the retaking of the Onderonian capital of Iziz from the Mandalorians."

"Isn't Mandalore himself supposed to be on Dxun?" Sakura asked. "What happens if he joins the battle?"

"Leave that to us." Meetra turned and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Should Mandalore himself show up, leave him to either Revan or myself; he's too much for any of you all to take on right now."

"Meetra speaks truly." Revan nodded sagely. "While I highly doubt Mandalore will rear his head, if the unthinkable happens and he joins his men on the field, stay away from him and let the senior Jedi handle it; no heroics from any of you, understand?"

"Yes, General!" Naruto and Sakura snapped into attention and voiced their compliance at the same time.

"Of course, Master." Ino nodded.

"I doubt I'd be on the surface to face him anyway." Shikamaru grumbled.

"Which brings us to the next part of the plan." Revan continued. "With the possible emergence of Shikamaru's Battle Meditation, he shall remain with me aboard my flagship not only to help me with planning out the engagements and battles, but to see if he can manifest his power. If he can, then the battle will go that much smoother and if he can't, then at least we can say we tried."

"And the rest of us Padawans?" Naruto spoke as he folded his arms into the sleeves of his robe. "What will our personal roles be?"

"Sakura." Revan turned to face the pinkette. "You're to remain back and help the medics while also taking relative command over the support groups; you _are_ effectively a Jedi General like us, after all."

"Yes, sir." Sakura nodded, still standing at attention.

"Naruto, you're to remain beside your Master while she's on the front lines." Revan then turned to face the blonde. "Your skills with a saber will be invaluable at the forefront of the fighting, as well as your skills as one of your planet's 'Shinobi'."

"Yes, sir." Naruto echoed Sakura's compliance as he snapped back into attention.

"Understand, Naruto, that you have the most crucial job." Revan continued on. "While Sakura will be providing both you and your Master with medical support, you will be in the thick of it with your Master and your men. If anything should happen to Meetra…" A pall of deafening, heavy silence befell the group before Revan directed a _piercing_ stare at Naruto through his mask, whereupon Naruto sensed it and actually flinched. "If anything should happen to your Master, all of the Jedi and Republic soldiers on the field will then look to _you_ for leadership."

"M-Me…?" Naruto hesitated with a shudder.

"You'd take Meetra's place as my right hand, Naruto." Revan more calmly explained. "In the event of her death, you'd take effective command of the Dxun assault and would afterwards inherit her ship, her crew, her fleet and her entire command."

"But that's _if_ anything should happen." Meetra quickly stepped in and placed her hands on both of Naruto's shoulders from behind. "You're ready for advancement anyway, Naruto. You're ready for your own command, and I'll see that you get one, but nothing will happen to me; I'll come out of Dxun alive, and so will both you and Sakura."

"… I at least know the severity of the fight we're getting ourselves into now." Naruto sighed heavily as his right hand went up and grabbed the hand that was upon his right shoulder, an action that did _not_ go unnoticed by neither Revan, his Padawans nor Sakura. "If worse comes to worst, I'll do my best as Master's replacement, and if we should all survive, I'll still give my hypothetical new command the same dedication I'd give anything else."

"I can see that the future of the Jedi Order is in good hands." Revan nodded in respect at the boy's words. "We'll discuss the plans more in detail when you all regroup with us just outside of the system."

"Of course, Revan." Meetra nodded her consent, absently letting her Padawan's hand rest upon hers. "I'll see you then."

"Revan out."

Upon the blue hologram fading out, Meetra lingered upon her blonde student for a few more seconds before she forced herself to let go of him and slid her hand out from under his as she turned to her navigations officer.

"Change of course!" She called out to the bridge as a whole. "We're heading for Onderon; make the necessary recalculations and relay to the fleet of our new heading."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The navigations officer called out before everyone went to work.

"You two retire for now." She turned to her two Padawans. "It won't be long until we reach the staging area; it would be wise to get as much rest as you can."

Without complaint, both Naruto and Sakura began their march towards the turbolift. Though as soon as the doors closed and the descent began, they both turned to each other, worry written all over their faces.

"Can we do this?" Sakura asked. "It's gonna be our first actual battle and from what I can tell, it'll a _massive_ one."

"And what happens if Master Surik _does_ fall?" Naruto added. "Suddenly _I'm_ the one taking her place at Revan and Alek's side! Me, barely eight months as a Padawan now suddenly leading a third of Revan's total forces as a full-fledged Jedi Knight and General!"

"General Revan and Master Surik both seem to have confidence in our abilities, though…" The pinkette sighed as she slumped back first against the wall of the turbolift and massaged her forehead. "And we _have_ been training near nonstop for these eight months with nothing but ourselves to try our skills on…"

"Add to the fact that we've already survived one war and learned from it…" Naruto joined in on this albeit hopeful train of thought.

"We're Jedi now." Sakura affirmed with a nod. "We can do this."

"The Mandos won't know what hit them!" Naruto declared with a toothy smirk in his own attempt to hype up the situation.

"Besides, you and Master Surik both need to survive…" She trailed off knowingly. "I wanna see what happens…"

"What… happens?" Naruto questioned with a furrowed brow.

"I saw how you two held hands back there." Sakura smirked. "Something going on that you haven't told me about? Huh?"

Immediately Naruto's eyes widened in realization and a slight tint of pink dusted his cheeks. "Oh! No! Nothing like that's going on!" He held his hands up in a placating manner. "It'd be improper and it's against the Code!"

"The Code can go get hanged!" The pinkette managed a scoff through her giggles. "We're not _officially_ Jedi, let me correct myself on that part."

"That will hopefully be changed after we win this war!" Naruto reaffirmed his confidence with balled fists.

The turbolift then stopped at the designated floor and the duo began their march once again towards their rooms in relatively comfortable silence.

"So, if there's nothing going on between you and Master Surik…" Sakura suddenly broke the silence as they neared their rooms. "I'm to assume you're still…" She stopped herself short.

"Single?" Naruto finished for her. "Indeed I am." He nodded.

"Oh!" She suddenly found herself blushing this time around. "Good!"

"Good?" Naruto parroted with a quizzical tilt of his head.

"Y-You'll find out what I mean after the battle!"

With that declaration, Sakura suddenly took off for her room, opened the door, then had it close and lock behind her with a rather loud _thunk_.

With a shrug, Naruto stepped into his room and also locked his door behind him as he began undressing on the way to his bed. Upon approach, he absently fell into its warm confines and let out an audible sigh as he adjusted himself and closed his eyes, now looking forward to some actual rest that didn't involve meditating in any way. Soon enough, his world went dark and he fell into a comfortable sleep. He'd need it.

 **(Dxun: Two days later)**

Hell. The purest form of hell is what Naruto was witnessing. He was a blur of orange as he sped through the pouring rain, the underbrush of Dxun's jungle and the multitudes of Mandalorians who stood in his way as he cut each and every one of them down with his lightsaber in an attempt to clear a path for the contingent of soldiers under his command.

He was in charge of Meetra's forward scouts and so far after two days of nonstop fighting with no end in sight, he was not proud to admit that he was quickly becoming numb to it all. Behind him he could hear his Captain barking out orders and the scream of blaster rifle fire from both sides as his men were being fired on and were returning fire in kind. On instinct, Naruto reached out with his left hand and suspended a thrown Mando frag grenade midair, then sent it careening back into the face of who threw it with explosive effect.

Using the kicked up mud and water as a cover, he dove into the camp in front of him and brought his lightsaber across the chest of one female Neo-Crusader, Force Pushed another back first through a tree and cut down another two who dared challenge him to melee combat even before they drew their vibroswords. Behind him he could sense the commander of the camp levelling a repeating carbine and with a spinning flourish, Naruto turned and deflected the first volley as he charged and brought his lightsaber up and through the carbine, then horizontally through the man's helmet, ridding him of his head just as his contingent came running in and took up positions at the far end of the camp, returning fire and preventing a counterattack to retake the camp.

"Captain!" Naruto barked out over the noise of battle, occasionally blocking the stray blaster bolt. "Get communications set up and get our flyboys on the line!"

"Yes, sir!" The Captain loudly voiced as he motioned for the company radio man to fall in line.

As the comms were being set up, Naruto reached down and into one of the pouches on his belt and retrieved a thermal detonator. After pressing the activator, a loud beeping began emanating from the device, signaling its priming mode.

"HEADS DOWN!" He bellowed out as he threw the grenade into the opposing tree line. "Thermal det!"

Upon hearing their Jedi commander bellow out those words, the Republic solders wisely ducked before Naruto threw the sphere. The Mandalorians on the other side, upon seeing the grenade rolling before them, began scrambling away and those that weren't mowed down by blaster fire were instantly vaporized by the detonation.

"Comms up, General!" The Captain voiced.

"This is Jedi General Naruto Uzumaki with the Fifth Infantry Company under Jedi General Meetra Surik!" Naruto fought through the blaster fire and the beating rain to voice his requests. "Requesting immediate danger close firing solution on my coordinates! Repeat, danger close!"

"This is Lieutenant Carth Onasi!" Came a voice on the other end of the line. "I read you, General! Confirming danger close firing solution; better get yourself and your boys hunkered down for this one!"

"Heads down, boys!" Naruto yelled as he hunkered down into the corner of a durasteel barrier. "Flyboys overhead! We're gonna get buzzed!"

The familiar roar of the Republic's Aurek fighters sounded off overhead as an entire squadron flew past, then circled around and began a hailstorm of blaster fire upon the tree line and surrounding area, with only one of the five being shot down by anti-air fire.

"I owe ya one, Carth!" Naruto called out into the comms device. "Meet me in Iziz for a drink once we take this damned system!"

"I'll hold you to that offer, General!" Carth's voice returned. "Good luck! Lieutenant Onasi out!"

"Master!" Naruto yelled back into the comms unit after dialing in her number. "We've secured another camp! Orders?!"

"Keep pushing!" Meetra's voice boomed out of the unit. "Request extra reinforcements to hold that camp and keep pushing up! We need to secure an actual foothold before we can call in our big guns!"

"Roger that, Master! I'll report back at the next camp we take! Naruto out!"

Just as he was about to hang up the line, another call came in and he picked it up.

"Boss!" It was Konohamaru and he sounded panicked. "Boss, the camp you just left from is about to be overrun!"

"Can the troops hold it in time for me to get there?!" Naruto screamed into the unit.

"There's a _lot_ of them!" Konohamaru returned. "You keep pushing, I'll hold them here!"

"You're not a Jedi like I am, Konohamaru!" Naruto argued, his voice conveying authority on this matter. "Fall back and wait for me; I'm on my way!"

"I may not be a Jedi, but I'm still a Shinobi!"

"Konohamaru!"

The line was now dead.

"KONOHAMARU!" Naruto all but screamed.

When he didn't get a reply for that second time, he immediately dropped the comms unit and began a headlong Force dash through the trees and brush, lightsaber still in hand and ignited, for what felt like an eternity before he came upon the camp he and his company had just left from to find dead Republic and Mandalorian soldiers alike… along with Konohamaru who was currently pinned to the ground by a vibrosword through his right shoulder being towered over by a Mandalorian Neo-Crusader wearing crimson red armor.

"So, you're the Jedi who's been pushing our lines for the past couple of days." The man's voice came out of the augmenter of his helmet. "And what? Is this your student or something?" He drew his blaster pistol and aimed it at Konohamaru's head. "Kid didn't put up much of a fight; I thought Jedi were supposed to be invincible?"

"Let. Him. Go." Naruto growled out as he pointed his orange lightsaber at the offending Mandalorian.

"B-Boss…" Konohamaru gasped out as the Mandalorian planted a boot upon his chest.

"No, that's what _you_ have to do, Jedi." The Mandalorian rebutted as he casually pulled the trigger.

As the blaster bolt burned its way through Konohamaru's head, all Naruto could do was stand there, shocked into inaction as his blue eyed widened and bore into the now lifeless orbs that were his little brothers' own.

Rage. Blinding, intense, primal _rage_ filled every fiber of his being. It was as if something was reaching out to him and heeding his call for power. He didn't know what it was and he didn't care. All he wanted was to _kill_.

With near blinding speed, Naruto flashed in front of the Mandalorian just as he dropped his pistol and yanked the vibrosword out of Konohamaru's corpse in an effort to parry the incoming lightsaber strike. What he wasn't expecting was the Force Push that came instead of the lightsaber, which hurled him backwards and pinned him back first against a ferrocrete structure and suspended him there as the force from the push continued to squish him further and further into the structure. Through his helmet, he could make out the eyes of the Jedi he was now about to be killed by.

He saw the fires of hatred burning within those cold blue eyes, he could feel a dark aura surrounding this blonde Jedi… and he could also feel his right arm as he moved it inch by inch towards his secondary hold out plaster upon his right hip. With the last ounce of strength he could muster, he pushed back against the unseen force, drew his holdout blaster and fired off a couple of shots at the Jedi in front of him.

Abandoning his offensive in favor of deflecting the two shots, Naruto then found himself diving for cover as the Mandalorian had simultaneously unhooked a thermal detonator from his belt and had it roll down the slightly sloped ferrocrete surface he was pressed against to Naruto's feet. Just after the detonation, Naruto rose back to his full height snarling as he brandished his saber at the retreating form of the Mandalorian who had killed Konohamaru.

"My name is Canderous Ordo, Jedi!" Canderous identified himself. "Remember my name when my people conquer your army and your petty Republic!"

As he glared holes into the back of the form of the retreating Canderous, he could feel his anger subsiding, giving way for the next emotion on the block. As he approached the corpse of his little brother, he dropped his lightsaber, which deactivated once out of his grip and he fell to his knees before Konohamaru. With a shaky hand, he closed the boy's eyes and offered up a prayer to his Gods, thankful that it was still pouring down rain, as his tears couldn't be distinguished.

Unbeknownst to him, Meetra was currently crying also. _Something_ had happened to her Padawan. She felt anger, she felt a darkness encroaching upon him and then she felt extreme sadness to the point where their Force bond was conveying the full intensity of what he was feeling. Something had happened and she wasn't there for him, nor could she be there for him because of the current push she was making against the Mandalorian lines. Through their bond, she could vaguely make out a scream… his scream. A scream that tore her heart in two, yet she continued to push on because she had to… not because it was her duty, but because if she didn't, then they'd never see each other again, because the Mandalorians would win.

His pain fueled her desire to end the Battle of Dxun as quickly as possible. His pain was calling out to her, begging for her to alleviate it… and she couldn't. All she could do was continue on fighting.

For both their sakes.

 **AN: Konohamaru's dead, Naruto's had his first taste of both real war and the Dark Side, there's a** _ **powerful**_ **Force bond between he and Meetra , Canderous is at the top of his shit list and Dxun is about to enter full swing. I wonder how Naruto's gonna react to the cataclysm that is Malachor… well, I already know, but you guys will just have to wonder until I get around to releasing that chapter!**

 **Now, pairings. As stated before, Meetra's definitely in. I'm still on the fence about adding a second girl or making this a full harem, though. On one hand, I want to keep it strictly Naruto x Meetra, but as always, there's another side of me that's telling me to add just one more girl. Cases have already been made for just Meetra, and then for Visas, Mission and even Mira to my surprise, as I hadn't even considered her. If you guys think of any other girls who might work, give me reasons for or against. Oh, and the possibility of Bastila being an option is always there if we feel like hanging Revan out to dry.**

 **This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: And for your patience, I come at you all with the longest chapter of this story! Here I am again, kiddies, with the end of the Mandalorian War arc and the beginning of the true story! I'll admit, I probably rushed it a bit by the end of the chapter, but it was intentional, as I know you all want to get to the meat of this one! But enough of by blathering!**

 **Chapter 4: Malachor**

"I'm sorry, General Uzumaki." The _Vanguard's_ navigations officer apologized. "I haven't seen General Surik. She may still be coordinating cleanup down on Dxun."

"I see." Naruto slowly nodded as he tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robe. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He bowed to the man and excused himself.

It was only just a short two weeks after the initial battles for both Dxun and Onderon. Two weeks of blood, sweat, tears and pure hell that turned not only Naruto jaded, but the rest of his Shinobi entourage. They were all affected in different ways by Konohamaru's death, which was compounded by countless more deaths that they either witnessed or directly caused. To cope with the loss, every one of them directed their grief against the Mandalorians, save for Hinata who stuck to the back ranks helping the tide of wounded flooding in every day. Naruto, however, took it the hardest and spent almost every waking moment out in the field with the advance scouts or cutting a swath through the thickest fighting on the frontlines, which earned him countless praises from Republic brass, a few medals, and a new moniker: the Bloody Maelstrom, coined when he almost single-handedly decimated an entire company of Mandalorian elites when his platoon had been cut off and killed before him.

He wasn't blind to what was happening to him, however. He had been meaning to seek counsel with Meetra, but she had always been busy with the whole Dxun front of the battle that she couldn't readily see him. Now, with he battles for both Dxun and Onderon drawing to a close, he had assumed that she'd be aboard the _Vanguard_ , but now it seemed that she was handling the cleanup detail personally.

' _More meditating, it seems.'_ He inwardly mused to himself as he sighed, his fingers fidgeting under the fabric of his sleeves.

"General, sir!" The communications officer cut off his exeunt. "Holo coming in from Commander Revan."

"Pull it up." Naruto ordered, being that he was the ranking Jedi on the ship at the moment.

"Naruto." Revan greeted the boy with a nod of the head. "Have you been in contact with your Master recently?"

"No, sir." Naruto shook his head. "I believe she's still down on Dxun, making sure that the Mandos have surrendered."

"Then I shall trust you with what I'm about to say." The blue image before him flickered with a moment's disruption of static. "I believe we know where Mandalore has retreated."

"This is good news!" Naruto exclaimed. "We can catch that snake and bring this war to a close!"

"I share in your enthusiasm my young friend, believe me." Revan shifted in place. "I believe he's fled to the Malachor system. I also believe he intends to make his final stand there."

"Let the dog fight." He snarled. "Like every rabid beast, we shall put him down."

"Such viciousness." The commander noted. "The war must have gotten to you."

"I…" Immediately, Naruto took in a breath to calm himself, then bowed. "I apologize, sir. That outburst was uncalled for and was against the teachings of the Jedi. I let my emotions get the better of me, like I have foolishly done so many other times prior to my life as a Jedi."

"I sense trepidation in your words, young Padawan." Revan crossed his arms over his chest. "Has Meetra counseled you on these feelings you're keeping bottled up?"

Leave it to Revan to see right through him.

"No, sir." He shook his head, still bowed.

"Rise, Naruto." Revan beckoned him so and he did. "This should be spoken about in person. Meet me aboard my flagship, the _Resolute_ ; there we can talk."

"Yes, sir." Naruto nodded, then gulped and let out a held breath as the blue image of his Commander flickered out when the call ended.

Aboard the _Resolute_ in a meeting with the Supreme Commander himself… well, this would be interesting.

 **(The** _ **Resolute**_ **: Minutes later)**

The room was darkened and barren of any furnishings, save for two mats laid upon the floor. Upon these two mats sat Revan and Naruto, facing each other in a lotus position. Blue eyes reflected off of the polished surface of the mask the man before them wore, which did nothing to ease the growing anxiety that Naruto was now feeling. Revan was unmoving, save for the rising and falling of his chest as he breathed and Naruto couldn't be sure if the man had his eyes closed or not, again, because of the mask. They had sat there for a good ten minutes meditating and he was _sure_ Revan could feel his anxiety, his worries, the unspoken fears rattling around in his head.

"You fear what's happening to you, don't you?" Revan's voice suddenly broke the palpable silence. "You fear reprisal for relentlessly pursuing the Mandalorians for the injustices they've suffered upon the galaxy."

"I fear my own methods." Naruto nodded as he opened his eyes. "I fear that my example during this war will reflect badly upon Master Surik and jeopardize not only my official candidacy for the Order, but her position."

"And why exactly do you fear this?" Revan asked plainly.

"Because my anger, my burning hatred for the Mandalorians could lead me down a very dark road." He balled his hands into the fabric of his pants. "The Council may suspect me of corruption, label me Dark Jedi. They may either kill me on the spot or exile me back to my home planet, where I most likely will be tried for desertion and executed."

"The future is never certain, Naruto." Revan counseled. "In the short time you've served on Dxun, you've already received medals and commendations, requests for promotion from the upper echelons of even _my_ personal staff and a name that has stricken fear into the rank and file soldiers of the Mandalorian menace." He leaned forward slightly. "The Bloody Maelstrom is a name that the soldiers we've captured know too well, it's among the three names that have been blacklisted by Mandalore himself as names to either prioritize execution or to retreat from."

"And those are?" Naruto asked, though he was sure he knew where this was going.

"Revan, Alek and Meetra Surik." Naruto could feel the smile tugging at Revan's face. "And now Naruto Uzumaki, the Bloody Maelstrom. You've gained much distinction and honor during this campaign, Naruto; enough for the Republic generals to sing your praises right along with our names as one of the four heroes of the war. When this war ends and the Council, by some twisted miracle, _do_ declare you unfit for the Order, the political backlash from touching one of us four would be too much for the Council to talk their way through; they'd be forced to bite their tongues and sit on their hands while you, Alek, Meetra and I lead our armies through Coruscant in a victory parade."

"That still doesn't change the fact that I _know_ something is wrong with me!" Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Revan, I'm trying to rid myself of these feelings; I know that the route I'm on right now will lead to my fall! I've spent my whole life resisting the dark side even without knowing what it was, but now that I know that it exists, now that I've fallen prey to its temptations…" His gaze fell to the durasteel floor. "I'm scared, Revan. I'm scared of falling, I'm scared of turning into something I don't want to be, I'm scared…" Desperately, he raised his head once again and met the 'T' visor of his Commander. "I'm scared of Master Surik seeing me like this."

Where it wasn't immediately apparent to Revan, now he could _see_. As if a veil had been lifted, there was a light tint of yellow in Naruto's blue eyes, immediately surrounding his pupils and his skin was starting to pale slightly, save for his whisker marks, which were growing bolder and darker. He had been touched by the dark side of the Force and its roots were starting to encroach upon him.

"I need guidance, Revan." Naruto clenched his eyes back shut and bowed his head. "Please… help me."

' _Never have I seen someone so touched by the Force that they show signs of corruption this early on.'_ Revan inwardly pondered. _'It was a subtle thing at first, but now with this veil lifted, I can see Naruto for who he truly is…'_

Swirling around the boy in question was a whirlwind of Force energy. He seemed to be a living conduit of the Force, a nexus in which it could most easily flow through. Such Jedi were rare, but there had been practitioners of such natural skill, much like himself. The drawback was being easily swayed by either extreme end of the Force; one could be drawn to the light and never succumb to the dark or conversely, they could be dragged down into the depths of the dark, never to see the light again. As he stared at the swirling energy around the blonde, Revan realized the magnitude of what was sitting in front of him. Naruto, whether he knew it or not, was the single most naturally gifted practitioner of the Force he had ever seen; a rare diamond in the rough, a once in a millennia _miracle_ gifted to the world by the living Force itself… and he was asking for advice.

"Use these feelings, Naruto." Revan finally spoke after considering his options. "Use the anger you feel for the Mandalorians, feed on the hate and never forget the anguish of losing your 'little brother' to them. We're so close to ending this war; don't extinguish your fame when you have only just ignited it, let it burn and allow it to help light the path to our victory."

"B-But…" Naruto gulped. "I could fall even farther…"

"This war had been hard on us all, my young friend." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Alek, Meetra and I have lost our fair share of friends and comrades already; we've ridden the emotional waves just as you're currently doing and we've learned to inherently cut ourselves off from the world when performing our duty in whatever capacity is necessary to end this once and for all."

"So… this is just a natural thing?" He asked, his eyes wide with seeming recognition.

"It's called being human, Naruto." Again, Revan wisely counseled. "Because you can still feel all of these emotions bubbling up inside you means that you haven't fallen as far as you think; you can still _feel_ the pain of losing a friend, the remorse of having to cut down an opponent. You're still alive, and you're still _Jedi_."

The words Revan was saying, the way he said them… it all felt _right_ to Naruto, who accepted the counsel with open arms, almost missing what was to come next.

"And I believe some sort of official reward is in order, other than your medals." As he stood, Revan took his lightsaber from his belt and activated it with a loud snap-hiss that jolted Naruto out of his reverie, as he was in the middle of mulling over their entire conversation. "Naruto Uzumaki, kneel."

After a hesitation, Naruto shifted his position so he was on one knee in front of his Commander, his head bowed.

"As of now, I, Revan, Supreme Commander of the Republic, pronounce you Knight of the Jedi Order." He hovered his lightsaber over one of the blonde's shoulders, then hovered it over the other. "Rise, Jedi Knight Naruto Uzumaki."

Too stunned to do anything else, Naruto merely stood with wide eyes and a dumbfounded look upon his face, his mouth opening and closing with a number of yet unspoken questions.

"And know that you are now officially a Jedi General, a rank you previously held through your Master." Revan continued as the violet blade of his lightsaber retracted back into its hilt. "You now share Meetra's standing and I now consider you a part of my inner council. With your new rank comes your own ship, the right to choose a Padawan of your own and the command of a fourth of the total forces at our command."

"Wh-Where…" Naruto found his voice and immediately cleared his throat. "Where will these forces come from? The fleet is already divided into thirds between you, Alek and Master Surik."

"I'll be diverting ships, soldiers and supplies from all three of our fleets to yours." Revan coolly answered. "I have the main command fleet, Alek as the defense fleet, Meetra the heavy fleet… and you shall command the newly established support fleet."

"Thank you, Revan!" Instantly, Naruto bowed his head once again, this time a bit deeper than before. "Not only have you counseled me through a dark time, you entrust me with a fourth of our total forces. The faith and confidence you have in me humbles me greatly!"

"Pay back my faith and confidence by helping me end this war and standing beside me as an equal as we march through Coruscant." Again, Naruto could feel Revan's smile through the Force. "Now, report to Onderon for some down time. By the end of the week, we'll have your fleet ready for you to assume command and we all will be ready to head to Malachor."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto snapped into a salute, the biggest smile plastered on his face as he turned on his heel and began his walk out.

"Also give some thought on who you're going to take on as your Padawan!" Revan called after the boy as he exited the meditation chamber.

 **(Onderon: Iziz Cantina: Some time later)**

"And he finally shows up!" Ino blurted out, red dusting her cheeks and a half-empty bottle of juma juice held in her right hand. "Naruto, come on and celebrate being alive with us!" She slurred with a hiccup.

"We survived, that's what she means." Shikamaru corrected the trashed blonde behind him. "Just blowing off steam." He shrugged and took a drag of the cigarette he was nursing, then downed the last of his Tarisian ale.

"Saved you a seat!" Sakura gestured to the seat to her right. "Come on, take a load off!"

"Gladly." He sighed contently as he settled into the seat with a smile. "Despite the hardships we've faced, today's a good day."

"How so?" Shikamaru asked.

"I just got knighted, promoted to full Jedi General and received my own fleet." He answered casually as he took a sip of the Corellian whiskey that was brought for him.

"T-That's wonderful, Naruto-kun." Hinata, albeit quietly, spoke up as she returned from the bar with a tray of finger foods.

"Wait, wait." Ino slammed her bottle upon the table. "Just how high up the hierarchy are you now?!"

"Fourth." He answered after another sip of his whiskey. "Revan, Alek, Master Surik and then me."

"Gods above…" Shikamaru sighed. "Looks like we're gonna have to address you properly from now on."

"My fleet's being organized as we speak, and within the week, I should have my flagship and we all should be ready to make our next move." Naruto continued. "I know where we're heading next, but I'm choosing to wait for Revan to address everyone at the same time."

"One more reason to celebrate, then!" Sakura declared. "Let's all just live it up while we can!" She lifted her glass of Tarisian ale. "To Naruto and his new command!"

"Hell yeah!" Ino raised her bottle of juma.

"T-To a better future!" Hinata declared with a smile as she raised her watered down ale.

"To just surviving." Shikamaru lazily raised his glass or Tarisian ale which he was hesitantly sharing with Sakura.

"To the end of this damned war!" Naruto raised his Corellian whiskey and clinked it against everyone else's drinks. "And to lasting friendships; may we never drift apart!"

As the day turned to night, the group of five Jedi celebrated away with drink and countless games of pazaak between both them and the flood of Republic soldiers who were now frequenting the watering hole. Surprisingly, Hinata had gone undefeated in the many games of pazaak they had played, but by that point they all were sloshed, the usually conservative Hyuuga princess included.

"To the Republic!" Naruto shot out of his seat suddenly, a half-drunk bottle of the same Corellian whiskey he had been drinking throughout the night held aloft.

"Here, here!" A Republic Lieutenant stood up and toasted as well. "To Generals Revan, Alek and Surik!"

"To all the Jedi!" Another Lieutenant stood that Naruto recognized as Carth Onasi. "May the Order thrive for generations to come!"

"I lost again…" Shikamaru groaned as he set his cards down. "How are you so good at this game, Hinata?"

Hinata was passed out in her chair. All too late, Shikamaru realized that he had lost to himself.

"If ya can stop riling the crowd…" Sakura stumbled to her feet, a heavy slur to her voice. "Ino and I need help getting back to our apartments…"

Inebriated as he was, Naruto could still hold his liquor, so as the Republic soldiers cheered and toasted, he set his bottle down and slung one of the pinkette's arms over his shoulders.

"Up you come." He turned his attention to Ino, who was dangerously close to passing out herself, and hefted her to her feet.

"Ohhh…" Ino groaned. "I'm gonna regret this in the morning…"

"We all will." Naruto agreed with that sentiment with a nod, then began guiding the pair out of the lively cantina. "Here's hoping Shikamaru's coherent enough to take care of Hinata while I'm gone."

"They'll be fine." By this point, Sakura was starting to hiccup.

"Heeeyy~~" Ino slurred into his ear. "You're really cute, Naruto. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"I may be sloshed, Ino, but I'm still coherent enough to not rise to this." Despite his blush and the feeling of Ino's very well endowed breasts being pushed into his arm as he walked, Naruto was content to let the horny drunk of a blonde raddle on until getting her to her apartment.

"Like Naruto would…" Sakura stopped for a hiccup. "Would ever stoop to your level, Ino-pig!"

"You're not woman enough for him, Forehead!" Ino drunkenly snarled.

"And you're both shitfaced." Naruto sighed as the two drunken friends took verbal shots at each other, even as they approached their apartments. "Go and sleep it off. That's an order, ladies."

"Fuck you!" Sakura flipped him off as she entered her apartment and slammed the door behind her.

"You wish you could, flatty!" Ino called out after her. "So, Naruto~~…" As she turned, she found that her fellow blonde was nowhere to be found. "Dammit." She clicked her tongue with a pout.

"By the Force, those two are a handful…" Naruto muttered to himself as he made his way back to the cantina for more drinks and a few more rounds of pazaak.

As he stumbled through the dimly lit Iziz streets, coming across the occasional celebrating Republic soldier or fellow Jedi out on patrol, he took a shortcut through a side alley. Upon rounding the corner into the alley, he had bumped into a person who had rounded the corner at the same time as him.

"My apologies." He inclined his head to the person.

"It was my mistake." The girl he bumped into returned the nod then continued on.

"You want to stop walking." Immediately, it seemed as if Naruto had sobered up as he rounded upon the person while waving his right hand.

Following the Force suggestion, the girl from before stopped walking mid step as the blonde crossed the distance between them.

"You will give my credits back." He waved his hand again and pocketed the credits that the pickpocket had lifted from him.

"Didn't know you were a blasted Jedi!" The girl panicked. "A thousand apologies, Master Jedi; I didn't mean to cross you!"

"Did my robes not give me away?" Naruto deadpanned with a twitching eyebrow. "Or the lightsaber on my belt?"

"Ok, _maybe_ I knew you were a Jedi." The girl conceded the point. "I thought I could be quick enough that you wouldn't notice."

"I wasn't _always_ a Jedi you know." He chuckled as he let the girl free from his Force stasis. "Once upon a time, I was a street urchin and a thief who eventually turned assassin more or less."

"So, what?" The girl turned to face him. "You get where I'm coming from?"

The girl in front of him turned out to be a Zeltron. She stood at around 5'6", had deep red skin and dark blue, almost black hair, seemed to be maybe a year or two younger than him and had bright lilac eyes wearing simple commoners clothing that was smudged and scratched here and there.

"Would you be surprised if I said yes?" Naruto smiled at the girl. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Jedi Knight and General of the Republic."

"Riza." The now identified Riza introduced herself. "Riza T'Loak. So, what now? Are you gonna arrest me?"

"You tell me." Naruto crossed his arms. "You should be able to read me good enough to judge my intentions."

"I'm a Zeltron, sure, but you're overestimating out telepathy." Riza frowned at the challenge. "Besides…"

"I'm a Jedi." Naruto finished for her with a smirk. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Again, because I'm/you're a Jedi!" Naruto and Riza respectively intoned at the same time.

"Stop that!" They continued.

"I'll keep doing this until you show me how potent your potential is!"

As they both intoned this, a look of sudden realization dawned upon Riza's features when she realized that Naruto had been leading her on the entire time in an effort to draw something out of her.

"Your natural talent." He explained calmly. "I may still be a relatively new Jedi, but I can sense the Force's hand upon your shoulder. Whether you know it or not, you're touched."

"M-My telepathy is just sharper than others'!" Riza hesitated. "I can't be 'touched' or anything of the sort! I'm not that special!"

"The Force doesn't discriminate, Riza." He shook his head as he uncrossed his arms and took a couple of steps towards her. "You've been touched by the Force; what's more is you've unknowingly been using your latent gifts to help you read people better." His neutral face faltered into a smirk once again. "How many games of pazaak have you hustled for quick creds?"

"Too many to count…" She admitted with a downcast look. "It was all I could do to help support myself. Parents were killed by the Mandalorians and my sister was sold to the Exchange. Been hustling pazaak and pickpocketing strangers for a living."

"A living that you don't have to endure anymore." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm offering you a new life; Revan needs as many good soldiers and Jedi as he can get and I sense greatness within you."

"No more slumming it?" She asked as her lilac eyes caught the ocean of blue that was the Jedi's eyes in front of her.

"Not anymore." He shook his head with a smile. "Should you come with me, I can arrange for you to receive proper training. And you can help us take the fight to the bastards that murdered your folks."

"So long as those monsters pay… I'm in." Riza nodded resolutely.

"Welcome to the Order, Riza T'Loak."

 **(Onderon Orbit: Days later)**

"Crew!" The Captain of the _Vanguard_ barked out. "Atten-HUT!"

At once, a chorus of boots on metal rang throughout the hangar as Meetra, Naruto and a freshly robed Riza made for the shuttle.

"At ease!" Meetra ordered. "Let's not stand on ceremony here, people; a dear friend of ours is leaving us for his own command!"

"To General Uzumaki!" One crewman declared.

"To General Uzumaki!" The whole hangar bay erupted with chants and cheers.

"It's been an honor serving with and getting to know you all!" Naruto stepped up with a meek Riza sticking close to her Master. "You know I'm not one for over excessive emotional displays, so I'll keep this short; I have my own fleet now and I'm going to use it to help kick these Mandalorian bastards right in their asses!" He paused for an uproar of more cheers. "The end of this blasted war is in sight, so let's all do our part and push these monsters out of the galaxy!"

"Back to your posts, the lot of you!" Meetra barked out over the cheers and jibes. "I want the fleet prepped for hyperspace within the hour!"

"Riza, go tell the pilots to prep my shuttle." He turned to his Padawan as the entirety of the hangar quickly emptied to carry out their duties.

"Yes, Master." She bowed and walked off to do as she was ordered.

And then they were alone…

"I can scarcely believe it." She beamed at the blonde in front of her. "One moment, you're my Padawan and the next you're knighted and my equal. I knew you were destined for greatness."

"All thanks to your guidance, Master." Naruto bashfully smiled and scratched the back of his head. "I made it this far because you decided to visit my backwater little home planet. All I am, I owe to you."

"And still so humble." She giggled as she ruffled his hair. "You're a fine Jedi, Naruto, and your faith to the Order is finally being rewarded." Her right hand moved from his crown to his shoulder. "I'm going to miss having you on this ship."

"I'm gonna miss being here." He lifted his left hand to caress the hand on his shoulder. "But I have my own ship now, my own crew and my own fleet… and we're heading out to end this war."

"If there were no war…" She took a step into him and grabbed his left hand as she linked their fingers together. "We would have never met."

"If there was any good to come out of this conflict… it's that we met." He smiled at her, a smile which faltered momentarily. "Master… what's to become of us?"

"… I'm not blind to what's happening." She took in a calming breath. "There's an attraction between us… an attraction I attribute to our Force Bond. We've developed an unusually strong bond, stronger than a bond between Master and Padawan _should_ be..." Another small step into him she took. "And we've slowly been dancing around each other, gradually becoming more physical with our affections, like right now… it's against everything the Order practices and preaches."

"What the Council doesn't know won't hurt them." Naruto shook his head. "Master, these feelings aren't wrong or perverse at all… it's a human emotion that everyone feels, including the Council."

"We can't, Naruto." She also shook her head, albeit a bit more desperately. "I was your Master, I'm older than you by a few years and I'm still technically your superior. Not to mention the Code forbids – AAHN!" She yelped in surprise when she felt a pair of lips envelop hers.

Though immediately startled, Meetra found herself, against her better judgment, stepping fully into him to allow him to wrap his strong arms around her waist as they deepened the kiss. Their eyes were closed, her hands were exploring the wild ocean of blonde that was his hair and their lips moved in perfect sync with each other… until sense returned to her and she pushed him off.

"W-We…" She struggled to regain control of herself. "We shouldn't have done that…"

"I… I'm sorry, Master." Naruto quickly bowed his head. "I don't know what came over me." He rose and turned on a heel. "I should… head to my ship."

With not another word spoken, he beat a hasty retread onto the waiting shuttle, which eventually took off, leaving a still flustered and _very_ confused Meetra standing there alone with her thoughts.

The shuttle ride was deathly silent as Naruto stood at the far end of said shuttle, away from Riza, who was sitting in one of the seats staring at him curiously.

"Are you alright, Master?" She asked.

"Fine." He answered a bit too quickly for his own liking. "Just had an emotional goodbye with Master Surik."

"The bond between you two must me strong." She idly noted as she leaned back in the seat. "Hopefully I prove to be as good a student to you as you were to her."

"You will, Riza." He managed a smile as he rounded upon her. "I have faith in you."

"We're here, General." The pilot called back to the both.

"Here we go…" Naruto took in a breath as Riza stood and took her place at his right as the loading ramp opened.

What greeted them as they made their way down the ramp was the entirety of the crew lined up in formation to greet them, all standing at attention with the Captain waiting at the foot of the ramp.

"Welcome aboard, General." The Captain snapped to attention with a salute. "I'm Forn Dodonna, Captain of the _Paladin_. Welcome aboard, sir."

The _Paladin_ was the sister ship of the _Vanguard_. It was a _Centurion_ -class battlecruiser that was only a couple hundred meters larger than its sister yet still carried the same armaments and fighter compliments, albeit with a few more guns added in because of the added length.

"Glad to be aboard, Captain Dodonna." Naruto shook the woman's hand, then addressed his crew. "At ease!" At once, the entirety of the assembled crew stood at ease as ordered. "Like I just got done telling the _Vanguard's_ crew: The end of this war is in sight and I'm making it my mission to use my new command to my fullest ability. We're all here for one reason and one reason alone; to end this damned war, and that's just what we're going to do!"

"You heard the General!" Dodonna began barking amidst the cheers. "To your stations! Let's welcome the General properly; with a smooth jump to lightspeed!"

As the crew hopped to their tasks, Dodonna motioned for Naruto and Riza to follow her to the turbolifts, whereupon they reached the bridge after a short ride.

"General, priority holo coming in from Commander Revan!" The communications officer reported in immediately.

"Patch him through." Naruto ordered as he linked his hands behind his back.

"I'll be over here, then." Riza stepped back, but was halted by her Master.

"You should be here for the call, Riza." He smiled at her. "Please, stand beside me."

"Naruto." Revan nodded to the boy as the blue image fizzled to life. "And Riza." He regarded the girl. "How do you find your nee life among us?"

"Different, sir." Riza's back straightened when the man addressed her. "Different, but worthwhile so far."

"Stick by Naruto's side and he'll guide you towards your destiny." He nodded, then turned his attention back to Naruto. "How are you finding your new ship, my friend?"

"Fits me like a glove." Naruto smirked at the blue image in front of him. "Ready and eager to prove myself as a part of this inner council of yours."

"On that note, I have your new orders." Revan put on his 'commander' voice. "Your fleet shall accompany mine into the system, where we'll bait the Mandalorians into a final stand over Malachor V. Meetra's fleet will be taking most of the heavy lifting on this one while Alek will be securing the rest of the system."

"So I need to divide my fleet between yours and Master Surik's." Naruto nodded in understanding as he folded his arms across his chest. "Mandalore would relish a chance of facing you personally and we're banking on that. While you take on Mandalore, my support fleet will be aiding Master Surik's heavies while also providing orbital support for the planet itself."

"Your fleet may have just been formed, but it will play a vital role in the coming battle." Revan spoke. "Your forces will be engaged both on the ground and in space while the rest of us make sure this bait and switch goes smoothly."

"My boys can handle it, Revan." He declared with clenched fists and a fire lit in his blue eyes. "Just give me the go ahead."

"We're all ready to jump, General!" The navigations officer reported in.

"Revan?" Naruto directed the report to his superior.

"All ships…" Revan seemed to pause as he took in a breath. "Engage."

With the order given, the four assembled fleets began their jumps to hyperspace. First went Revan's fleet, then Alek's, third Meetra's and finally Naruto's. This was it, they were headed towards their destinies."

 **(Battle of Malachor V: Hours later)**

The ship rocked as a full broadside of turbolasers were unleashed upon a passing Mandalorian capital ship, ripping through whatever shields it had left and shearing it in half in a vibrant explosion. Aboard the _Paladin_ the crew were rushing form terminal to terminal going through status reports on both the space battle and ground war while their General stood there still as a statue, hands linked behind his back as he observed the battle passively.

"Divert Red Squadron and Gold Squadron to harass that frigate in front of us while Blue Squadron goes in for a bombing run." Naruto coolly ordered. "Forward batteries open fire when its shields are down."

"Tell the commanders on the ground we're prepping reinforcements for them!" Riza called out over the chatter and explosions. "Light armor should be on its way as we speak!"

The frigate in front of the _Paladin_ was ripped apart when the forward batteries scored a direct hit upon its bridge while the fighters buzzing around the ship passed by occasionally, chasing down opposing Mandalorian fighters.

"General, status report from Padawan Haruno!" The communications officer barked. "She's made it to the surface of Malachor V and is leading a battalion of Jedi and soldiers into the thickest of fighting; requesting orbital bombardment on a stubborn base!"

"Divert the request to the _Ravager_!" Naruto ordered as he turned to face the Comms officer. "She should be in range for some heavy bombardment!"

On the _Paladin's_ starboard side rumbled into view the _Ravager_ , another _Centurion_ -class battlecruiser that was under Naruto's command as one of his heavies as it pushed through the Mandalorian lines and opened upon the planet with its red turbolasers.

"Full reverse; let's get out of her way, people!" The blonde Jedi General ordered once the _Ravager_ began its bombardment.

As his ship began its reverse, he tuned himself back into the overall battle. He watched as countless fighters on both sides were shot down, ships ranging in sizes from cruisers to dreadnoughts were felled and Revan was nowhere to be seen. He had been delayed and Alek was securing the rest of the system, leaving just his fleet and Meetra's fleet against the whole of the Mandalorian armada… and it was a losing fight. Finally, as though answering a prayer, a third fleet jumped in and began firing upon the Mandalorian lines; this was Revan's fleet, their Commander had finally made it.

"Sorry I'm late to the party." Revan's voice sprang to life through the comm channels. "Scouting party delayed me, but I took care of them."

"I thought I'd have to take on Mandalore myself at this rate." Naruto cracked a smirk. "Seriously, I was this close to ordering my shuttle to prepare!"

"There's a battle going on here, in case you haven't noticed?!" Meetra barked over comms.

"So what?!" Naruto shot back. "Let these bastards come at us; more bodies to burn at the end of the day!" He didn't know what it was, but the feel of the entire system was… _off_. It put him on edge and all he wanted was to end the battle and be away from the place.

"Naruto's right, Meetra." Revan agreed with his young friend. "Now that I'm here, Mandalore's probably salivating at the thought of taking me on personally…" The tone over comms darkened significantly. "I'll give him the fight he wants."

"Make it bloody, Revan!" Naruto snarled, unbeknownst to him his eyes were now flashing yellow.

"Revan, wait!" Meetra called out too late, as the channel had been cut. "You're encouraging him!" She scolded her former student.

"He doesn't need encouraging from someone like me!" Naruto denied. "He's doing what he must to end this war and I'll do what I can to support him!"

"We're _not_ having this conversation now! Concentrate on the battle!"

"That's all I've been doing since Dxun!" More yellow seeped into his eyes. "Yet I'm stuck on this ship! Fuck this!" He rounded upon his Padawan. "Riza, have my shuttle prepped; I'm following Revan onto Mandalore's flagship!"

"Naruto, DON'T!" Despite his former Master's pleas, he cut the channel and stormed off towards the turbolift at the far end of the room.

The flight was rough, as to be expected from a raging battle, but after a few close calls, the shuttle containing Naruto, four of his elite Jedi and a company of Republic shock troopers landed within one of the hangar bays of Mandalore's flagship. As the loading ramp lowered, his orange lightsaber sprang to life and he charged out of the craft, followed closely by his four Jedi. Weapons were cut in half, limbs were dismembered, blaster bolts deflected and a swath was cut into the Mandalorian hangar bay.

Desperately, one Mandalorian hurled his entire pack of thermal detonators at the blonde who he recognized as the Bloody Maelstrom, only for the pack to stop midair as Naruto held it there with the Force and sent it careening back into the hapless individual who threw it. As the soldier stumbled back, the pack detonated just as he fell against a bomber, which in turn detonated its payload, nearly leveling the entire hangar in the process.

"All clear here, sir." One of the female Jedi under his command reported in.

"Shame Riza can't be here." He found himself chuckling. "If she'd have begun crafting her lightsaber, I might have considered bringing her along for practical experience." He then shrugged as he got on his comlink. "Revan, I followed you in; just cleared a hangar bay of all hostiles, where are you?"

"Upper levels." Revan's voice crackled over the comlink. "My men and I should have cleared a way; just follow the bodies and clean up whatever we missed. Meet Ino halfway; I left her behind with a contingent of soldiers to guard my rear."

"Roger that." Naruto nodded, then turned back to his strike team. "Let's move it, people!"

As Revan said, the path towards the upper levels of the dreadnought were indeed clear, with only a sparse few soldiers offering opposition along the way until finally the team came upon another blonde Jedi guarding an intersection.

"Master Revan said you'd show up." Ino smirked as she joined Naruto in his approach to the turbolift. "Leave some of your forces here to reinforce mine; we're going up to reinforce Revan."

"You two stay here with a few soldiers; hold this point!" Naruto barked a two of his Jedi elites. "The rest of you follow us!"

The other two Jedi and about six other Republic soldiers filed into the turbolift with the twin blondes, their mission clear: Reinforce and guard Revan at any costs. As the turbolift slowed to a halt, Ino withdrew her saber and licked her lips as a tint of yellow found its way into her eyes.

"How many have you killed?" She asked.

"Too many to count." Naruto also licked his lips as he held his lightsaber loosely in his right hand, the yellow now bleeding into his eyes once again as well.

"Let's both add to the pile, shall we?"

"Show me how well you can dance, Ino-chan." He teased her as they both crouched down into a ready stance just as the turbolift doors opened.

Orange and double-bladed purple sprang to life with Ino taking the lead as she spun her twin-blade in a flourish, blocking the incoming volley of blaster bolts while Naruto dashed ahead of her, blocking a few stray bolts as they came, and decapitated one Mandalorian as he Force pushed another back first into the durasteel walls of the ship. On instinct, Ino leaped over his head and right into the middle of the Mandalorian formation. Two spinning cuts relieved one soldier of their arm and head, a backswing bisected another at the waist and as she charged forward, she spun her lightsaber once again, mincing two others as they retreated while Naruto cut through the heavy carbine of the commander and lifted her up off the ground with the Force. Without a second thought, he closed his left hand into a fist and crushed the woman's throat, then casually tossed the corpse aside.

"Overachiever." He chuckled at the carnage he and Ino had just wrought.

"Don't be mad because I make this shit look good." She swayed her hips seductively as she walked away from him, her lightsaber now deactivated and hanging from her belt.

"Still more Mandalorians to kill, though." He jogged until he had caught up with her. "And we still have to find Revan."

"We could just as easily clean this entre ship out, take her a prize." His fellow blonde suggested.

"And use it as what?" He scoffed. "Our personal pleasure yacht?"

"Could you two just hurry up and find a room?" Revan's voice cut the light flirting short.

"R-Revan, sir!" Naruto exclaimed with a blush. "How long have you been listening?!"

"Long enough." He grumbled. "Mandalore's dead."

"About time!" Ino cheered.

"Orders then, sir?" He asked.

"We scuttle this ship and return to our own; there's still the war to win, after all!" Revan ordered.

"We're just below the bridge, we'll wait for you here, sir."

About the time Naruto said that did the turbolift doors in front of them open to reveal their Master and Commander.

"Wait's over, let's go." He suggested.

He seemed to be in a hurry. Though, considering that he had just killed Mandalore and the end of the war was at hand, Naruto could understand why he was in a hurry. It didn't take long for them to reach the hangar bays, and Naruto would have crossed the threshold into the bay that held his shuttle… except for the fact that he felt _something_. It was an echo in the Force, what started off as a ripple that was heading his way.

"You feel that?" He turned to Ino, who was gripping her head between both hands. "I-Ino?!"

"It h-hurts!" She bit out.

And then it _hit him_. A wave of pain unimaginable, echoes of thousands upon thousands of voices crying out in betrayal, in anguish. He could see their faces, friend and enemy alike. He could see their terror, their tears, he could hear their screams… among them he saw Sakura, crying out in sheer terror as she was crushed along with everyone and everything else. It was pure _hell_ , and it hurt more than anything he had ever experienced before, it was stabbing him in his very soul, the Force itself was crying out.

As this echo washed over them, both Naruto and Ino screamed at the top of their lungs before this echo turned into a wound and the wound turned into a hole that rent even the living Force asunder. As the Force rippled and echoed around them and then was turned to nothingness, their minds went blank and darkness consumed them.

"Mass Shadow Generator has been activated, Revan." Alek's voice came over Revan's comlink. "I felt it even all the way out here."

"The war is over, Alek." Revan coldly replied as he stared down at the unconscious but alive forms of the twin blondes. "The war is over, yet another has just begun…"

"How do you mean?" Alek asked.

"We'll talk more on my ship." Revan dismissed the question as he hefted Ino onto his left shoulder and Naruto onto his right as he boarded the shuttle before him.

"W-Where to, sir?" The shell-shocked pilot queried.

"Back to the _Resolute_." Revan ordered.

 **(The** _ **Resolute**_ **: Some time later)**

His eyes struggled to open, he could barely move his body at all, but through sheer will and determination, Naruto opened his eyes to the sight of a Republic medbay. Well, at least he was alive, that was a plus. His head still hurt like hell, but that was nothing a few painkillers couldn't fix. He groaned as he sat up in his bed and ran a tired hand down his face. He couldn't remember anything, save for this massive amount of pain and sensory overload before passing out, so with this blank spot in his memory plaguing him, he spared a glance around the medbay and found Ino lying in the bed beside him, still unconscious.

"She's going to be fine." A familiar voice called out to him. "You both are, thank the Force."

"Where are we, Shika?" Naruto asked hoarsely.

"The _Resolute_." Shikamaru answered as he passed the drowsy blonde a glass of water. "You and Ino have been out for the better part of two days; I only woke up a few hours ago myself, same with Hinata."

"And Sakura?" Naruto asked after gulping down a generous portion of the given water. "How long until she wakes up? Or has she woken up already?"

"She…" Shikamaru hesitated, then took in a calming breath. "Sakura's dead, Naruto."

"… What?" He glared at the Nara.

"She was on Malachor when the device was set off; she died quickly… hopefully."

"Device?!" He snapped. "What device?!"

"The Mass Shadow Generator." Revan answered as he calmly strode into the room. "It was a secret project ordered by myself. It was a last-option fallback to ensure the Mandalorian's unconditional surrender."

"Did we know the effects?!" Yellow tinted blue eyes glared daggers into the 'T' visor of their commander.

"We had an inkling, yes." Revan nodded. "Sacrifices were necessary for the total surrender of the clans."

"Half of those sacrifices were my soldiers!" Naruto yelled as he balled his fists into the fabric of the bed. " _Sakura_ was among them!"

"And you think I don't mourn their losses?!" The senior Jedi snapped. "I ordered the project and your Master ordered its activation! If there were any other way to ensure the end of this war, I would have taken it in a heartbeat, believe me!"

"It's just…" The blonde swallowed as he cast his gaze downwards. "I lost Konohamaru to those monsters… and now I've lost Sakura…"

"We all have lost Sakura." Shikamaru pitched in. "I don't like it, but I agree with Revan; it was the only surefire way to ensure total surrender."

"Though there are still stragglers and holdouts." Revan mentioned. "Alek and I have decided to pursue the survivors; we're just waiting for yours and Meetra's input on the situation."

"Give me some time?" Naruto asked as he glanced from Shikamaru to Revan, who nodded in understanding.

"Get some rest, Naruto." The masked Jedi advised. "When Meetra wakes up, we'll inform you."

With that, both Revan and Shikamaru filed out of the room to give the blonde some quiet and privacy. The memories were coming back to him now; he remembered the echo, he remembered seeing Sakura amidst the ghosts, he remembered this echo turning into a wound… and even as he pondered over these memories, he could feel the wound in the Force that Malachor left in its wake and he shuddered. He must have spent a good long while sifting through the memories and dealing with the fallout because the next thing he knew, one of Revan's Jedi walked in.

"General Surik has awakened, General Uzumaki, sir." He reported.

"Thank you." Naruto nodded to the man as he swung himself out of bed and onto still slightly wobbly legs.

Nevertheless, he forced himself to walk straight as he slipped on his robe and made his way through the winding halls of the _Resolute_. He would have relied on his bond with Meetra to guide him, but strangely, he couldn't feel it; it was as if there were a hole where their bond used to be. Such thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind when he saw his Master up and about redressing herself in her usual Jedi attire.

"Master." He softly called out to her with a smile. "Just like you to be returning to action immediately."

"There's still work to be done." She monotonously intoned. "Revan wants to see us, no?"

"Y-Yeah." He nodded with a slight hesitation and a furrowed brow. "Meetra, are you feeling alright?"

"This war has been trying." She brushed passed him with not a second glance. "I just want it all to be over."

' _Something's not right here…'_ He mentally mused as he followed behind his former Master until they both reached the bridge, where Revan and Alek were waiting for them.

"About time." Alek grumbled.

"How are you two feeling?" Revan asked after sparing his friend a glance.

"Still a bit stiff, but none the worse for wear." Naruto clenched his fists a few times.

"Tired." Meetra admitted with a sigh. "So, very tired."

"As are we all, Meetra." The masked Jedi nodded. "Unfortunately, there are Mandalorian holdouts who have retreated into the Unknown Regions."

"Revan and I are of the same mind; hunt them down and either destroy them or make them submit to the ceasefire." Alek added.

"You know I'm all for hunting more Mandos." Naruto smirked. "Count me and my fleet in."

"That's not our mandate anymore." Meetra shook her head. "The war is over; we now must report back to the Council."

"You must be joking." Alek found himself stifling a laugh. "The Council would bind us again and forbid us from chasing these dissidents, if not outright exile us all!"

"Be that as it may, that is our duty now." Meetra held firm.

"We're not going back to Coruscant, Meetra." Revan shook his head. "We still have a duty to make sure the Mandalorians never lift a finger against us again."

"Master, please." Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need you."

"You don't need me." She shrugged the hand off. "And I won't be a part of this. I'm going back to Coruscant."

"You know what lies waiting for you there, Meetra." Revan called after the now retreating form of his former friend.

"Master!" Naruto made to run after her, but Alek's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Let her go, boy." He counseled. "You can feel it, can't you?"

"I think we all can." Revan grimly nodded. "It's as if she's already dead…"

Now that Naruto attuned his senses to his former Master, his eyes widened at what he was sensing… her connection to the Force had been severed. How that had happened, he didn't know, but as she walked away, he couldn't help but pity the woman that he had at one point fallen for, the woman that he had thought he knew… no more. Meetra Surik was dead, or might as well have been.

"Get back to the _Paladin_ , Naruto." Revan commanded. "We leave within the hour."

"Yes, sir." Naruto nodded as he marched off to carry out his orders.

What had happened to her? Did the Mass Shadow Generator do that to her? Did she do it to herself unconsciously? He didn't know and he wasn't sure he even wanted to know in the first place.

"What's the verdict?" Shikamaru asked as he, Hinata and surprisingly Ino met him on the way to the hangars.

"Revan, Alek and I have agreed to chase down the Mandalorian survivors into the Unknown Regions." Naruto informed the group. "Meetra's quit the fleet and is returning to Coruscant to report to the Council."

"As is our duty." The Nara nodded. "Besides, we need to be officially recognized by the Council."

"S-Shikamaru-san is right." Hinata nodded. "There's already been enough death, let's just end it all and follow Master Surik."

"I guess you missed the part when I said _I_ was heading out with Revan and Alek?" Naruto deadpanned.

"And I'm coming with you!" Ino declared. "Fuck the Council; there's a cleanup operation to be overseen and I'm not missing it!"

"Our part in the war is over!" Shikamaru rounded upon his teammate. "We _have_ to go to Coruscant now so we can officially become Jedi!"

"And what if the Council says no, huh?" Ino fired back. "I'll take my chances with Revan, Alek and Naruto here; at least with them I _know_ that I'm a true Jedi!"

"Ino-san, please!" Hinata attempted to placate the blonde girl. "Haven't you seen enough death?"

"Konohamaru and Sakura died for this cause." Ino glared hard at the Hyuuga heiress. "I won't dishonor them by giving up prematurely."

"You two leave if you want." Naruto pushed past the opposing duo. "Ino and I still have a job to do."

"You'll be declared traitors, I hope you know that!" Shikamaru called after them.

"We already are, remember?!" Ino barked. "By leaving our planet, we became traitors them, so what's changed?!"

Sakura dead, Meetra broken and the Shinobi group broken up… not that it mattered to Naruto one bit. He knew where his new loyalties lied and he knew what his duty was. He'd follow Revan to the gates of Hell and back if it meant living up to the potential he and Meetra saw in him. Besides, he had a taste for war now, he and Ino both did, and they'd be damned if they didn't seek out a good fight which they _knew_ the Mandalorians could provide.

Yet there was still a feeling in the back of his mind, a feeling that he couldn't shake, a feeling of foreboding. Or it could have just been him sensing Malachor.

He didn't know which was worse.

 **AN: And done! So, what do you guys think? With shit about to hit the fan, how will the Jedi Civil War go with our favorite blonde knucklehead seemingly on the wrong side of the conflict? How did you guys like the little moment between him and Meetra? Or his developing relationship with Ino that'd (probably) being fueled by the dark side? And what about dark side Naruto as a whole? Too early to tell?**

 **Now, as you all well know, Meetra's definitely in and has been for a very long time, and I'm still seeing cases for and against a second girl. Keep those opinions coming in, I want as much food for thought as I can get! For those voting for a second girl, I'm adding Ino into the mix for now, as she may just end up being a casual one off thing once in a while, but that could change! Realistically, either Visas, Mira or even the OC I introduced as Naruto's Padawan this chapter, Riza, might be the second girl (if there will be a second girl at all).**

 **This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: And here it is, the full product! Ladies and gentlemen, this one was** _ **fun**_ **to write, as is this entire story, come to think of it. Little to say at the beginning here other than a surprise awaits you all! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5: Lost in the Dark**

 _I see her face again. Twisted into a scream of pure agony, screaming out to me, begging me to kill her; that it hurts too much, that the pressure is too much for her… and then I see the planet imploding. I see Malachor cave in on itself; I feel the wave of suffering, of agony, of palpable and very real fear... I see her face again. The face that Sakura probably made before being extinguished by what we HAD to do to end the war. As I turn from the image of Malachor, another image flashes before my eyes, this one of some sort of space station shrouded within the shadows, then of three figures sharing in the shroud of darkness. The uneasiness I feel upon gazing at the space station is reflected tenfold when I approach the three shadows, who all seem to stare at me, piercing my very soul._

 _I pass by the station and the three shadowy figures and I trudge my way through a blasted, barren wasteland amidst the stars until a final pair of figures catch my gaze. I see a woman with brown hair, blue eyes… Master Surik? Meetra?! As I pick up my pace, the shadows seem to darken around me; everything goes black save for Master Surik and the lone figure… when very suddenly everything goes as red as the thing now burned through her chest. I recognize the thing as an activated lightsaber, and with a ferocious roar, I ignite my own orange one and dash at the THING who dared hurt my Master. The lightsaber is torn from her chest and she is tossed casually aside by the red lightsaber-wielding figure and as we cross blades, the orange of my own saber illuminates his hidden face._

 _A reflection._

 _A reflection of me, but at the same time not me._

 _This reflection had glowing yellow eyes and a pale, corrupted face with his whisker marks an almost solid black amidst the milk white of his skin, a color shared with his spiky and unkempt hair._

 _A reflection. A reflection of me, of what I was afraid of becoming._

" _Revel in your future!" He cackles at me with the most sadistic smirk I've ever seen. "See what your pride had wrought, drink in this sight and DESPAIR!"_

 _After another roar, I break the blade lock and flip over his head while spinning my lightsaber in an elegant flourish in order to block the incoming strike intended to hit me as I land. I block and parry his blade upwards and then I sink my blade through his chest, just like he did with Meetra._

" _I am your future." He smirks again, unfazed by the saber burning through his chest. "Get used to this face; you'll be seeing it in the mirror for the rest of your very, VERY long life!"_

" _Na… ruto…" I hear Meetra gasp just as my dark reflection fazes out of existence, along with my lightsaber._

" _Meetra!" A call out to her as I kneel down to cradle her in my arms._

" _Help me, Naruto…" She begins crying into my robed chest. "I'm in so much pain… please!" Her body shakes with a violent sob. "I can't feel anything anymore! I… I'm scared!"_

 _As she's overcome by even more violent sobs, she begins to disappear in my arms; fading away into nothingness until eventually I'm left alone in the darkness with her sobs intermingling with the insane and EVIL cackling of my reflection._

With a start, Naruto shot straight up from a dead sleep, a cold sweat clinging to his body and seemingly out of breath. As a shaky hand runs down his face, he takes in a few deep calming breaths and closes his eyes in an attempt to re-center himself.

' _What the hell was that about?'_ He wonders to himself as he allows the living Force to flow through him in an attempt to calm his own nerves.

With the shakes now subsiding and his breathing now under control once again, he sighed as he threw the covers of his bed off, stood and made for his bathroom for a quick shower, images of his nightmare still clinging to the back of his mind. By the time he refreshed himself and donned his robes, there was a knock at his door.

"Come in." He called out as he finished situating his tunic.

"Master." Riza bowed as the door opened. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I just got up a few moments ago." He turned and leveled a smile at his Padawan. "What do you need?"

"Fleet's dropped out of hyperspace and is currently in orbit around our target planet." Riza dutifully began the SITREP. "General Revan is requesting your presence aboard the _Resolute_ , along with Alek's presence as well."

"An in person meeting?" The blonde hummed in thought. "Very well. You know the drill, Riza." He spoke as he reached out with the Force to his nightstand where his lightsaber sat and drew it to his waiting right palm, then hooked it to his belt. "You're in charge until I get back."

"Yes, Master." She bowed. "I'll send ahead for your shuttle to be readied."

 **(The Resolute: Minutes later)**

"Reach out." Revan calmly counseled the young man meditating before him. "Can you feel it?"

"I sense…" Naruto bit his bottom lip as he focused on his sensory perception of the planet before them. "I sense… _something_."

If neither Revan nor Alek could sense what the surface of the planet held, then it was surely an enigma, though he was still unsure of why they'd turn to him; surely their senses were more attuned than his?

"What does it feel like, Naruto?" Revan pressed as he as well tried to attune his senses to what his young friend was sensing.

"It's…" Finally, Naruto's vice grip upon his lower lip released. "It's dark, Revan. I can sense the corruption even here in orbit."

"So Mandalore _was_ telling the truth…" The Supreme Commander sighed as he cut his mental connection with the planet and ran a hand down his mask.

"About the so-called 'True Sith'?" Naruto raised an eyebrow as he stood from his lotus position. "Forgive me if I come off as unnecessarily blunt here, but what the hell?"

"I know what you're about to say, and trust me, I've told myself the same thing a thousand times already." The man turned away from his young friend and instead faced the icy planet which the bridge of the _Resolute_ gave a rather spectacular sweeping view of. "Rekkiad… that's what Mandalore called this planet."

"It doesn't show up in any official star maps. I'll give it that." The blonde Jedi nodded as he joined his friend and Commander, linking his hands behind his back. "Either this is one _hell_ of a wild goose chase, or Mandalore was actually telling the truth."

"We've come this far." Alek's sudden appearance on the bridge was announced with the closing of the doors behind him and the clinking of heels together as the bridge crew snapped to attention. "Any residual contemplation can wait for the shuttle ride down there, no?"

"For once, Alek and I agree." Naruto sighed with a sole nod of the head. "We're already here, Revan. If we're to investigate the validity of Mandalore's claims, best we get to it sooner rather than later."

"… Send for Ino." Revan turned to his communications officer. "Call her up here and tell her she's in charge while we're down there."

"Yes, General." The comms officer saluted before attending to her assigned task.

"Time to see what this mystery planet has in store for us…" Naruto smirked as his followed his two senior Jedi to the hangar bay.

 **(Coruscant: Same time)**

' _Force bless them both.'_ Meetra managed a smile as her two guests were all but hugging the windows of the transport they were on. _'First time on Coruscant, after all.'_

To Shikamaru and Hinata's credit, it really _was_ their first time visiting Coruscant and seeing the _immensity_ of the place. Shikamaru had thought Meetra was bluffing when she had said that the entire planet was one big city, so when he actually saw it with his own eyes, even he was moved to awestruck displays of emotion and the same could be said for Hinata, who had finally broken out of her own shell after they had to leave…

Just a passing thought of him was enough to stifle Meetra's mood. Many times between their last meeting and arriving on Coruscant she had reminded herself that her Padawan was no longer her Padawan; that he was his own person and had made his own choice… and she couldn't blame him. Revan was always naturally charismatic and Naruto had hit it off with her former Supreme Commander rather well. As time had gone on, it felt to her more and more that her dear Padawan was slowly beginning to favor Revan over her, a suspicion that had evidently been confirmed when he chose to follow Revan instead of her.

' _And knowing Revan, the grand reveal has yet to be put into action…_ ' She mentally added as she stared out and into the busy Coruscant skylanes, Meetra let out a soft sigh, her thoughts now dwelling fully on the blonde ball of energy that was her former Padawan.

' _I hope you can find it within yourself to forgive your fool of a Master, Naruto…'_ She thought. _'I left when you probably needed me the most. I left because I… I was afraid…'_

"Master Surik?" Shikamaru called out to her. "We've arrived."

"Coming!" She shook herself free of her own reverie and took lead of the two Padawans as they strode into their destination. "Welcome to the Jedi Temple." She was smiling again as she took the opportunity to be their first official welcome.

Said welcome, however, was cut short when three Republic soldiers showed up and immediately snapped to attention. "General Surik, ma'am." The lead soldier, a Lieutenant, spoke. "The Jedi Council has heard of your return and has requested your presence in their chambers. We're to escort you there, ma'am."

"These two Padawans will be accompanying me as well." Meetra clarified to her escort. "Will this pose a problem?"

"None, ma'am." The Lieutenant shook his head as he gestured for her to take the lead. "Shall we?"

The entire walk to the Council Chambers was spent in tense silence. Both Shikamaru and Hinata had immediately picked up on the change in Meetra's demeanor on board the transport, even thought she was trying her damnedest to hide it for their benefit. Surely something was going on here that they weren't privy to, so they'd stay silent for now and merely watch. They weren't officially Jedi yet, after all, so it wasn't their business to poke and prod for information, especially when Meetra herself seemed to be preparing for something. Now coming upon the High Council's chambers, the Republic soldiers all saluted before returning to their prior business after serving their purpose.

"Alright, you two." Meetra took in a breath and put on a smile as she turned to face them. "Stay here and wait for me to clear things up with the Council. They'll call you in when they're ready for you."

"Yes, Master." They both intoned at the same time and merely watched as she walked into the room before them.

The eyes of the Jedi High Council were all upon her as she confidently strode into the room, matching the gazes of Kavar, of Zez-Kai Ell, of Vash, of Vrook and finally Atris, halting just a scant few feet away from the center stone of the chambers as she tucked her hands into the sleeves of her robe and bowed her head.

"Masters." She addressed them, head still bowed.

"Do you know why we have called you here?" Vrook gruffly asked as he eyed the woman before him critically.

"You have called me here to answer for my crimes on Malachor V." She answered smoothly as she raised her head. "And my crimes during the war as a whole."

"As Revan summoned you, so have you come full circle to return to the Jedi." Kavar stated almost sadly as he shifted in his seat.

" _Return_?" Hinata whispered to her companion. "Shikamaru-san, what do they mean by return?"

"Was Master Surik really not a Jedi…?" Shikamaru questioned, mostly to himself.

"Why did you defy us?" Zez-Kai Ell asked. "The Jedi are guardians of peace, and have been for centuries. This call to war undermines all that we have worked for."

"Is Revan your Master now?" Atris hissed with narrowed eyes. "Or is it the horrors you wrought at Malachor that has caused you to see the truth at last?"

"The truth is that the Mandalorians _had_ to be stopped!" Meetra finally spoke up. "Without our intervention, countless more would have died! I recognize that I broke the Code by going to war, but this was a war of necessity!"

"You have shut us out…" Zez-Kai Ell shook his head disapprovingly. "And so have shut yourself to the galaxy."

"Masters, please!" Meetra pleaded. "Kavar!" She turned to the man she considered her closest friend. "Hear me out!"

"You are exiled." Vash coldly spoke, those three words crushing whatever hope she had left. "You are a Jedi no longer."

Slowly, Meetra unclenched her fists and bowed her head once again, knowing that the sentence had been cast and would not be overturned. As she turned to make her way out of the chambers, Vrook spoke up once again.

"There is one last thing." His gruff voice, at this point, _really_ grated upon her last nerves. "Your lightsaber. Surrender it to us."

Pausing mid-step, Meetra stood there for a few moments, as if frozen in time before faster than even Kavar had seen her move, her cyan lightsaber was already ignited and held within her grasp, buried up to the hilt into the center stone, more specifically into the insignia of the Jedi that was carved into its face. On a heel, she then turned around and let her lightsaber linger in the stone before it shut itself off and clattered to the floor.

As the doors flew open, all Shikamaru and Hinata could do was stand to the side and watch as the woman who recruited them into the Republic, into the Jedi, walked away, disgraced, head bowed and fresh tears staining the ferrocrete below her feet as she passed them by without any regard. The High Council had then deliberated about something or other in hushed tones, but the two Padawans had tuned them out, opting instead to stare at the retreating form of the one proud and now completely broken Meetra Surik as she made her way out of the Jedi Temple.

"W-What's going to happen to her?" Asked Hinata as she began to fidget. "To us?"

"Whatever the Council decides." Shikamaru frowned. "And considering what just happened to Mater Surik, I don't rate our chances very high."

"Did Naruto-kun and Ino-san make the right decision?" She wondered. "Should we have followed them after all?"

"I'm starting to think that maybe we should have, yes." He admitted. "But, it's too late to turn around now; we're within breathing distance of the Council."

As she glanced back into the chambers, Hinata had a sense of foreboding about their meeting with the Council. She would have lingered on those feelings, but as she eyed Meetra's lightsaber, she saw it begin to shake, recognizing the telltale signs of a Force Pull. Partially out of instinct, partially out of respect for Meetra and partially out of hope that Naruto would one day return to her, Hinata rushed into the room, catching the Council by surprise, and reached out with her right hand to instead draw the lightsaber into her waiting grasp, shocking Atris, who had intended on taking the lightsaber for herself.

"This lightsaber is not yours to inherit!" The normally shy Hyuuga stood against the Jedi Master before her, whose shock had very quickly turned into outrage. "This belongs to someone else now!"

"How dare…" The words died in Atris's throat when she witnessed Hinata's eyes change form, her Byakugan now fully active for all the Council to see.

"Hinata!" Shikamaru exclaimed as he, too, ran into the room and immediately bowed as deep as he could. "I apologize for her outburst, Masters! She believes that particular lightsaber would hold sentimental value to one of our friends and she went about requesting it the exact _wrong_ way!"

"I do not know you two." Kavar hummed after a shift in position. "Please, youngling…" He was now addressing Hinata. "Calm yourself; you may keep that lightsaber if you wish."

"… I too apologize, Masters." Hinata's eyes returned to normal as she followed her friend's lead and joined him in a bow. "But this lightsaber rightfully belongs to Master Surik's former Padawan now."

"Meetra never had any Padawans." Vash furrowed her brow. "None that I knew of, anyway."

"He's the friend we were talking about." Shikamaru clarified as he rose. "Naruto Uzumaki is his name. And my name is Shikamaru Nara. This is Hinata Hyuuga." He gestured to the girl beside him. "And we're not from any currently charted world that just so happens to not be in Republic space as well."

"Meetra found a previously unknown planet during the war?" Vrook also hummed. "And you two are from this planet?"

"Likely conscripted." Kavar nodded in understanding. "Though considering you wear the traditional Jedi robes, I should fathom to guess that you were taught the ways of the Force and lightsaber combat?"

"On the orders of Master Revan, yes." Hinata nodded.

"Master." Atris scoffed at the title the girl gave Revan. "Revan deserves no such praise as to be called Master."

"The Force is strong within these two." Zez-Kai Ell pointed out with interest as he shifted forward. "They claim to be from an uncharted world; if this enigma of a planet can produce natural Force sensitives of their caliber, this is certainly something we must investigate."

"The Force isn't our only weapon here." Spoke Shikamaru as he lowered himself into a squat and formed the Nara clan's signature hand seal. "Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique)!" He declared, his shadow below him morphing and shooting to his right to connect with Hinata's, who was forced into the same squatting position as her friend thanks to the nature of the Jutsu.

"Intriguing…" Vash also leaned forward with keen interest.

"This Jutsu, or 'Technique', is the Jutsu passed down within my clan, the Nara clan. It allows me to capture the shadows of my targets and force them to mimic my own movements." To drive his point home, he rose back to his full height and took his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it in all of its green glory, all actions Hinata was forced to mirror, complete with the snap-hiss of her own violet lightsaber springing to life.

"I don't know what you hope to gain by showing us all of this…" Atris was the first and only to speak, as the rest of the Council were still silently contemplating what they had just seen. "But you both were trained by that traitor Revan."

"Yet they both chose to come and face us, even as uncertain as they were." Vrook pointed out. "There was no guarantee that we'd accept them and they knew that."

"They're innocent of Revan's wrongdoings." Vash nodded in agreement. "They were recruited into a galaxy that they probably didn't know existed, into a war they didn't know was going on."

"You two and this Naruto were the only three?" Kavar asked.

"There were three others." Shikamaru clarified as he dispelled the Jutsu and deactivated his lightsaber. "Ino Yamanaka, Konohamaru Sarutobi and Sakura Haruno."

"Konohamaru was killed on Dxun by the Mandalorians." Hinata cast her gaze downward, mournfully. "And Sakura, she…"

"… Sakura met her end quickly on the surface of Malachor when the Mass Shadow Generator was switched on." The Nara finished bitterly.

"And what of this Naruto? And Ino?" Though Kavar had his suspicions, he asked anyway.

"They cut ties with us when we said we were following Master Surik here, to Coruscant." Again, Shikamaru elaborated. "They both chose to follow Revan into the Unknown Regions, to hunt down the remaining Mandalorians and force them to surrender."

"They are beyond saving, then." Vash concluded.

"I don't think so, Lonna." Kavar hummed as he sat back into his chair. "Like these two before us, they were conscripted and shown Revan's ways, not our own."

"They are likely following what they believe to be the correct teachings because they do not know any better." Zez-Kai Ell agreed with his friend and fellow Master.

"... No!" Atris, having read the feel of the room, exclaimed in outrage. "We cannot be considering letting them into the Order!"

"What would you have us do, Atris?" Vrook asked her rather harshly. "Confiscate their lightsabers and throw them back out into a galaxy they have yet to even fully comprehend?"

"They are in need of guidance." Kavar concluded with a nod. "Guidance that we can give.

"Then…?" Hopefully, Hinata spoke up.

"Welcome to the Jedi Order, younglings." Zez-Kai Ell broke into a slight smile.

"What about Naruto and Ino?" Questioned the Nara.

"Should they choose to return of their own free will, then we shall hear them out, at least." Vrook put the duo at ease. "It shall be difficult breaking them of Revan's teachings and ideologies, however."

"All we ask is you hear them out." Hinata bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Masters!"

"As your first official task as true Jedi…" Vash began. "Would you mind leading a fleet to your planet?"

"We wish to establish contact with your homeworld." Vrook finished for his colleague. "Open negotiations, possibly in the future offer them a place within the Republic."

"That…" Shikamaru grimaced. "May prove difficult, but we'll show you the way."

"Outrageous." Atris was seething. "Letting these two into the Order is dangerous. Revan's influence may spread amongst our own once again! Her teachings are just as poisonous as her Master's!"

"Wait, _wait_." Shikamaru held up an unbelieving hand. " _SHE_?!"

 **(The** _ **Resolute**_ **: Some time later)**

"The True Sith are real…" An awestruck Naruto spoke freely aboard the empty bridge of the _Resolute_ , which had been cleared for a personal council meeting between the three Generals. "I can scarcely believe that Mandalore was _actually_ telling the truth…"

"I can scarcely believe that they exist at all…" Alek shared his young friend's sentiments. "Is it possible that this is all just an elaborate ruse…?"

"Sadly, I think not." Revan shook his head. "The evidence was all inside that datacron we found, as well as the sarcophagus."

"What about the planet it's directing us to?" The blonde asked as he walked over to the navigator's terminal and pulled up the coordinates. "It said the planet's name is Dromund Kaas. Think it exists?"

"It has to." Concluded the Supreme Commander. "And our answers will await us there."

"So, we're really going…" Sighed Alek. "Very well. We've come this far."

"I'm with you, Revan." Naruto nodded with a smirk. "To the end."

After sharing a brief look with Alek, who nodded and made his way off of the bridge, Revan turned to face his young disciple.

"Naruto, know that you're most likely volunteering yourself to walk into your death, if what was stored inside that datacron is accurate." He warned the blonde. "Are you absolutely sure of this? Otherwise you have my leave to take your ship and your fleet back into Republic space."

"Hell no." Naruto shook his head negative. "I owe you a lot, Revan. Besides, I'm intrigued by this and it'd look bad if I just turned my fleet around out of nowhere and ran."

"You have so much faith in me, young friend…" Sighed the Supreme Commander. "Perhaps it's time I put some more faith in you as well…"

As Naruto was about to question what he meant, Revan answered by pulling down the hood of his cloak while raising a hand up to his mask. All too familiar with this trick, Naruto frowned.

"No offense, Revan, but my previous Sensei pulled this exact prank on me and my old team." He folded his arms across his chest. "Beneath that mask is…"

What he was about to say was utterly crushed when Revan removed his mask to reveal the face of a youthful woman. He had at one point thought that Meetra had been the most beautiful woman he had ever met, but the woman in front of him at this exact moment trumped every new expectation that he had. Hooking _her mask onto_ her _belt_ , Revan then reached up and undid her hair, sending her long raven hair cascading to just under her shoulder blades, and her eyes, by the Force, her _eyes_. They were a bright violet color that enraptured him fully. Her skin was pale and flawless, her hair long and black and her violet eyes only added to her untarnished beauty.

The tent in his robes returned full force, much to his own chagrin, and as he began shifting to hide it, she giggled.

"I'm sorry for keeping this big a secret for so long." Her voice was soft, melodic, yet carried a powerful weight behind it at the same time. "I didn't want the Republic to see the true me, you see. I adopted the mask to become a new person, the Supreme Commander that the Republic and my Jedi needed."

"When the true you is this elegant and _still_ as inspiring to be around as when you have that mask on…" With a slight bashful smirk, Naruto scratched the back of his neck with a chuckle. "I don't see the problem here. With or without that mask, male or female, I would have still chosen to follow you, Revan."

"Which is why I'm asking again." She walked over to him and placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"One Master already abandoned me." He gazed into her violet eyes with conviction. "I'm not going to be the one to abandon my new one when she needs me most."

"Heh…" Again, she giggled. "And now I see what Meetra saw in you." She admitted with an absolutely _angelic_ smile. "You are an extraordinary man, Naruto, and I'm lucky to have you by my side."

"I'll be there whenever you need me, Revan." He smiled right back at her. "It's a promise of a lifetime."

"Then… She took in a calming breath. "To Dromund Kaas we go."

"To Dromund Kaas." He nodded. "Time to see these True Sith with our own eyes.

They both knew they were marching into hell itself. But, as far as they were concerned, as long as they had each other, then the flames wouldn't hurt nearly as much as if they were separated. In that moment, Naruto and Revan's bond had strengthened tenfold.

And the limits of their bond would be tested very, _very_ shortly.

 **AN: And done! So, Revan's a woman after all! Gonna admit here, I was on the fence the whole time, but decided to go ahead and make Revan a woman. That being said, with this revelation, should she be the second girl in this possible threesome? There's been heavy support for a non-Harem route, as well as support for a middle ground being the aforementioned threesome. As it stands, I'm in favor of the threesome idea with Revan and Meetra being his two girls, but I'm still a bit dubious.**

 **What do you guys think, though? Should Revan be the second girl? Should this just be a full blown harem? If so, how many girls? Personally, if this** _ **were**_ **to turn into a harem, I'd stop at either three or four, but I want opinions! Threesome? Harem? Single pairing with only Meetra? Give me some good, convincing arguments for or against your choice!**

 **This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Inspiration strikes! Here I am once again, ladies and gentlemen, with the next chapter! Nothing too major happens in this one, as it's more of a setup for what's about to happen, so be forewarned. Also, another fair warning, there's a mini-lime near the end!**

 **Chapter 6: Knights and Children**

"Are we ready, Lieutenant?" Asked Revan through her mask, her voice modulated back into its male tone.

"Yes, Commander." The Comms officer of the _Resolute_ saluted. "The entire fleet's listening."

As she took in a breath, she noticed Alek and Naruto, who were flanking her left and right respectively give encouraging nods, spurring her on to give probably the second hardest order she'd ever have to give.

"Soldiers of the Republic and my fellow Jedi…" She began. "Let me first say that it has been a distinct pleasure to serve beside you all and that I thank you for your continued loyalty and belief in my leadership." She paused to glance over her shoulder to find Ino beaming with pride at being her Padawan, though the girl was more than ready to be knighted herself. "It is because I have been moved by said loyalty that I must ask the impossible of you all once again: Wait for us."

She, Alek and Naruto could feel the wave of confusion roll through the fleet and it was almost enough to make them flinch, almost. "There is something that Alek, Naruto and myself must do alone. It is highly classified and very, _very_ dangerous and I ask that no one inquire further on our task; I ask that you continue to place your trust in us and believe in your Generals."

"To the crew of my flagship, the _Leviathan_ …" Alek spoke over the comms after Revan had stepped down. "Until further notice, my Padawan Bandon will be in charge. Follow his orders to the letter and do not misplace my faith in all of you."

"To the crew of my flagship, the _Paladin_ …" Naruto spoke after a nod from Alek. "Riza, my Padawan, you're to take command until I return." He paused for a smirk that he knew Riza would feel through the Force. "Try not to crash my ship, keep our boys in line and by the Force, keep up with your training!" Proud enough that he had just embarrassed his own Padawan in front of the entire fleet by sounding like a nagging parent, Naruto stifled a snicker as he allowed his Commander and Master to take the comm again.

"And to the crew of my flagship, the _Resolute_ …" Again, Revan took in a calming breath before smiling beneath her mask. "Padawan Ino Yamanaka, step forward.

Confused at the whole situation, Ino did as she was bid with raised eyebrows. "Yes, Master?" She questioned, trepidation lacing her words.

"Kneel."

That one word from her Master put everything into perspective immediately. She kneeled and bowed her head, now knowing what was coming. Naruto, as well as Alek looked upon the girl with pride; Alek for rightly recognizing her potential from the word go and Naruto for seeing the girl who had very quickly become a best friend to him after Sakura's death and the departure of Shikamaru and Hinata, finally getting what she deserved. That feeling was quelled somewhat when Revan motioned him forward.

"She may be my Padawan, Naruto, but she was your friend long before that." She explained. "The honor should be yours."

With a stunned hesitation, Naruto stepped forward towards his still knelt friend, barely succeeding in not fumbling his lightsaber, yet with the weapon now in a firm grasp and the reality of what was happening settling in, he nodded, mostly to himself and confidently ignited his blade, the snap-hiss reverberating throughout the bridge.

"Padawan Ino Yamanaka, I, Naruto Uzumaki, Jedi General of the Jedi Order…" He paused once again for another smirk and for added dramatic effect before he hovered his orange blade over one of her shoulders. "Pronounce you Knight of the Order." He finished as his blade hovered over her other shoulder. "Rise."

With an immense pride and sense of self-accomplishment welling up inside her chest, Ino rose, now practically radiating as applause filled the Comms channel and the bridge as a whole, the confusion temporarily forgotten, yet returned somewhat subdued when the Commander spoke once again.

"Ino, I leave you in charge of the _Resolute_ in my stead." Said Revan. "And I entrust the whole of the fleet to you as well. Until I return, you are the Commander."

"I will not fail you, Master!" Ino declared, a proverbial fire lit within her eyes.

"Now, we shall be leaving in a few hours." Spoke the Commander. "I want a shuttle prepared for us, fully fueled and stocked with a list of supplies that I shall be providing to my ship's quartermaster. I repeat again: What your Generals and I are about to do is highly classified and I am ordering the fleet to not follow us." She paused for a final breath. "We will either return or we won't. It's up to the will of the Force now. Revan out."

"I'm going to get some rest while I still can." Naruto bowed to his Master as he turned on a heel.

"I'll be following my young friend's lead on this one." Sighed Alek as he followed Naruto out.

"Be sure to get as much as you can." Revan called after them. "Force only knows what we'll be encountering on this journey."

"M-Master?" Ino spoke. "I know you said not to ask, but…"

"Trust in us, Ino." Revan cut her former Padawan short. "Trust that what we're doing is for the best, please."

"O-Of course." She bowed her head. "As you say, Master."

 **(With Naruto: Moments later)**

' _What will we face there, I wonder…?'_ Naruto mused to himself as he shrugged himself out of what remained of the top half of his Jedi garb. He was currently occupying one of the private quarters that Revan had set aside for him and Alek, as she needed them both on the _Resolute_ with her so they could all three leave once their shuttle had been prepared. As he sat on the bed to rid himself of his boots, his door alert went off.

"Come in." He said after taking his boots off, feeling just who was on the other side of the door.

As the automatic door opened, in stepped Ino, who had the decency to lightly blush at his naked torso. The doors then closed behind her and she placed her hands on her hips. "So?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So… what?"" Naruto's eyebrow also rose as he stared at her.

"Why are you, Alek and Revan leaving?"

"Revan said to not ask us…" He groaned with a roll of his eyes. "So please, don't put me in a difficult position here."

"In case you forgot, I'm the stand-in Commander of the fleet until you all return." She huffed indignantly. "When questions are eventually asked, and those questions are funneled up the chain of command directly to me, what am I supposed to do? Make up some bullshit on the spot, or make up some better reasoned bullshit because I have something to base said bullshit off of?"

"Goddamn it…" He groaned once again, this time pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine…" He let out a heavy sigh. "Sit down, this is gonna take a while."

And so Ino sat, and listened. She took it all in. The truth behind Revan giving chase to the Mandalorians, Rekkiad, the datacron and finally the supposed existence of the True Sith on Dromund Kaas.

"And that's why we're leaving the fleet behind." He finished the story. "We're going to infiltrate the Sith, learn everything we can about them. We're not involving anyone else because, as Revan said, it's too dangerous."

"You're going to need me." That fire was lit within Ino's eyes again. "Take me with you; put Bandon in charge of the fleet!"

"That's a solid negative from me." He shook his head with a chuckle. "We need you here, Ino. Someone has to carry on Revan's teachings if we fail."

"You know _damn_ well how good we are as a tag team, Naruto!" She shook her head defiantly. "We tore apart the Mandalorians together, we've trained and studied together, we grieved for Sakura and Konohamaru together and we left our last two friends behind for the betterment of the galaxy _together_!" Were those… tears welling up in her eyes? "And now you're telling me to willingly let you leave on a suicide mission, to watch you walk away after everything we've been through and just accept that you might not make it back?!"

"Ino, what…" He began, wide eyed at this outburst.

"We've lost so much already…" She sobbed. " _I've_ lost so much already… my clan, my planet, my best friend…" A sniffle. "I watched my clan and my planet fade away into hyperspace, I felt the life get crushed out of my best friend, I gave away so much of myself to the war and the only thing that kept me truly grounded… was you…"

Realization slowly settled into Naruto's features as he sat there, letting her vent.

"You were, like always, the rock that held us all together, probably in more ways than one…" She balled her hands into fists and bit down on her bottom lip. "Goddamn it, why…?" She sobbed once again. "Why did I have to fall in love with you, you goddamn idiot? If you were just going to walk away in the end, then why…?"

He suddenly stood and crossed the distance between them, then kneeled so they were face to face.

"You're scared that I'm going to be the next one to die, right?" He surmised. "Because we don't know what the True Sith are capable of, you're scared that I'm walking into a trap."

"Of course I am!" She snapped as the waterworks opened up again. "If you died, if any one of you died, I…"

Whatever she was going to say died when Naruto stopped her mid-sentence with a firm kiss. Her eyes widened, her breath hitched and time seemed to stand still for a few seconds before she closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into the kiss that ended far too soon for her liking. As she opened her eyes, Ino found herself entranced by those beautiful cobalt orbs of his.

"I'm _not_ gonna die, Ino." He stated confidently. "Now that I have something more to come back to, I'll be _damned_ if I'll die."

"I love you…" She breathed. "I might not have another chance to say it, so I'll say it again… I love you."

"And I love you." He smiled as he gingerly pecked her on the lips once again.

The peck, however, turned a bit more aggressive kiss and the aggressive kiss very soon turned into a hormone-filled desperately ravenous make out session after he had picked her up and laid her upon his bed. She had already been relieved of her tunic and tabard, leaving her in only her purple bra and her pants. As his right hand ghosted over her well-toned abdomen marred here and there with battle scars, he took a handful of her left breast through her bra before leaning down and hungrily kissing her once again. As she gasped into the kiss, she suddenly shot up and pushed him onto his back, undoing her bra as she did so, revealing to him her bountiful 36D's.

"Take me, Naruto." She demanded through breaths as he merely admired the beauty above him. "I want to remember this moment.

With a smirk, he obliged.

 **(Elemental Nations: Same time)**

"They're back…" Growled the Raikage Ay as he stared up at those wretched sky beasts that had interrupted the newest Kage's Summit.

"Let's all just remain calm here…" Advised none other than Kakashi, who had become the Sixth Hokage. "They may have returned to make amends or otherwise rejoin us."

"I'll hear 'em out, but that's about it." Scoffed Kurotsuchi, who had taken over as Tsuchikage for her Grandfather.

"I agree with Kakashi-dono." Gaara spoke up. "We should give them a chance. Especially Naruto."

"I concur." Mei agreed with a nod.

Three _Hammerhead_ -class cruisers, six _Interdictor_ -class cruisers and twelve _Foray_ -class frigates sat in high orbit around the planet, in plain view of the Land of Demons, which had been used as a neutral ground, and its populace, the majority of whom had never seen the ships before, save for the bodyguards present who were veterans of the Fourth Great Shinobi World War and were there for the first visit.

Out of the flagship _Hammerhead_ flew a shuttle, accompanied by a full wing of fighter escorts. As it made its flight, the Kages all gathered in a clearing outside of the main village just in time for the fighters to come screaming over, frightening the civilian populace into submission, followed by the slow descent of the shuttle itself. Once landed, the shuttle's loading ramp lowered, revealing Shikamaru, Hinata and an escort of four Republic soldiers.

"Shikamaru?" Confused, Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "And Hinata? Where's everyone else?"

"Good to see you again, Kakashi-sensei." Grumbled Shikamaru with a sigh. "Really hitting us with the hard questions right out of the gate, huh?"

"Answer the goddamn question, traitor…" Growled Ay. "Before we execute you and that Hyuuga bitch."

"Raikage-dono!" A harsh feminine voice chastised the hulking brute of a man.

Said voice belonged to the mediator of the Summit, Priestess Shion herself, who was dressed in her typical Priestess attire and being attended to by a contingent of bodyguards. Now being on the cusp of eighteen, she had grown a bit since the last time Shikamaru had seen her on a routine diplomatic attaché. She had grown her long blonde hair out a bit longer and it was still tied with a bow at the end, she had shot up in height, now around 5'10" and her Priestess attire nicely hid her well-endowed figure that she had been sure to keep in shape for one reason alone.

"Raikage-dono, there shall be no talk like that within the borders of my country." She glared at the man. "These two are more than welcome here." Shion then spared a glance behind the pair, hoping to find one person in particular.

"My apologies, Priestess." Shikamaru bowed. "Naruto is not among us."

"O-Oh…" Despite hoping for the opposite, Shion put on a diplomatic smile. "Well, I'm sure he'll return at some point, no?"

"That's our wish as well, my Lady." It was Hinata's turn to bow, though she found herself mentally agreeing with the girl more than she would have liked.

"Tell us, Shikamaru." Kakashi spoke up again. "What happened?"

"Sakura and Konohamaru are dead." With a sigh, Shikamaru folded his hands into his cloak. "Naruto and Ino refused to return with us and are serving their new Master, Revan."

"And we…" Hinata began, eyeing Ay critically. "Have sworn ourselves to the Jedi Order and to the Republic. In turn, we have been sent as emissaries representing both parties to try and negotiate the entrance of the Elemental Nations into the Republic and the possibility of uplifting our species as a whole."

"Jedi Order?" Queried Shion. "Republic?"

"We'll explain everything later, Shion-dono." Gaara assured the girl before regarding the Jedi duo before him. "Then has your Republic come to force us?"

"Nothing of the sort." Shikamaru shook his head negative. "As Hinata said, we're emissaries, here to help smooth negotiations over."

"As long as those beasts up there," Kurotsuchi gestured to the ships, "stay way the hell away from us, then we can negotiate."

"With traitors?!" Ay's anger came to a boiling point once again. "They're doing the same thing that witch of theirs did! They've brought their sky beasts as a show of force and will rain that colored fire down upon us if we say anything else but yes!"

" _Shut up._ " Shikamaru firmly ordered with a glare and a wave of his hand.

At once, Ay shut his mouth and glared hatefully, fearfully at Shikamaru who now could use the same power as the 'witch'. Though he knew he could go farther, Shikamaru took in a slow breath and exhaled it equally as slow while mentally reciting the Jedi Code to himself. "Now… shall we begin negotiations?"

"By all means." Shion kept up her diplomatic smile as she gestured for them to follow her.

"Lady Shion?" Shikamaru called out to the Priestess as they began to walk.

"Yes?" She regarded the Nara Jedi as she walked.

"Forgive me if I forget my place by asking this, but last time I saw you was just before the war and if I remember correctly, you were heavy with child…"

"My daughter was born successfully and without complications." She smiled fondly at the mere mention of her daughter. "Makoto-chan is my own personal blessing and the future of the Land of Demons."

"How old is she?" Hinata asked, if only to make conversation.

"Two in just a couple of days." The smile turned melancholic. "And she has yet to even meet her Father."

"… And who's the Father?" Shikamaru had a very good idea of just who it was and he could feel the headache coming from a mile away.

"My dear Naruto-kun, of course!" She seemed to brighten up a bit by just saying his name.

"… There is no emotion…" Through gritted teeth Hinata began desperately reciting the Code.

"Oh, fuck…" Yep, there's that headache that Shikamaru _really_ didn't want.

 **(With Naruto: Same time)**

"OH, FUUUUUUCK~~!" Ino screamed and moaned as Naruto was taking her doggystyle, hitting her fifth orgasm in a row.

"S-Shit…" Naruto groaned, his hands groping her plump ass as he slammed into her again and again, her many gasps and squeals spurring him on. "Ino, I-I'm close…"

"Give it all to me!" She begged. "All of it!"

After a few more thrusts, he buried himself inside her and released. Once he was spent, he pulled himself out and collapsed into the bed beside her, where she crawled into his waiting embrace in post-sex bliss.

"Memorable enough?" He chuckled with a smile.

"Definitely." She returned the smile and gently kissed him.

"More where that came from after I kick some Sith ass." He declared cockily with a toothy grin.

"Be careful." She pressed her forehead against his. "Please."

"You know I will." He stared straight into those blue-green eyes that seemed to hold a tint of yellow. "I'm not dying and I'm coming back to you. That's a promise of a lifetime."

"Damn straight it is." She playfully huffed.

"Naruto, Alek." Revan's voice came over the ship-wide intercom. "It's time."

"Duty calls." He groaned as he forced himself up and out of bed to redress himself.

"Kick some ass, babe." She smirked at him after he had redressed. "And bring back a few trophies, will ya?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He mock saluted before leaning back down and capturing her lips in one last kiss. "Any other orders, Ma'am?"

"Maybe a grocery run?" She playfully tapped a finger against her shin in thought. "We're out of milk."

"Kick ass, trophies and milk." He smirked, then laughed as he made for the door. "Got it."

"Lovable little idiot…" She giggled as she too rolled out of bed and made for his shower.

After a quick turbolift ride, Naruto had made it to the hangar bay where Revan and Alek were waiting for him. "Sorry I'm late. Overslept."

"Uh-huh." Revan's eyebrow rose beneath her mask, yet she let the blatant lie go. "Shuttle's ready, as is our supplies."

"I believe we're ready to depart then, no?" Alek asked.

"To Dromund Kaas we go." Naruto nodded as he took in a breath and was the first one to board the shuttle.

"Remember, when we get there, no lightsabers unless absolutely necessary." Revan reminded her friends as she boarded the craft, taking her mask off only when the loading ramp closed behind her.

"And no robes, I'm assuming?" Alek asked as he rummaged around in the supplies. "Judging from the armor in this shuttle, I'm going to say no robes?"

"Correct." She nodded. "We're posing as mercenaries. No telling how long we'll be there, so we need to make sure we're as convincing as possible. No lightsabers and no use of the Force."

"Got it." Naruto nodded.

"Then the only thing left to say is good luck." Alek also nodded. "To all of us."

"May the Force be with us on this endeavor." Revan agreed with her friend's sentiments as she settled into the cockpit.

Slowly, the shuttle made its way out of the hangar of the _Resolute_ and into the cold, vast expanses of space, the destination a long way off, yet crystal clear in the minds of all three Jedi.

"Naruto." Revan called back into the bay. "Get some sleep; it's gonna be a long ride."

"Thanks…" Despite trying to remain vigilant, Naruto really was hurting for some actual sleep, and by the time Revan had all but ordered him to, he was already nodding off.

He was expecting peaceful sleep and pleasant dreams. Instead, as soon as he drifted off into unconsciousness, he found himself standing in the middle of what could only be described as a throne room, and a grand one at that.

Red banners lined the walls of the throne room, red carpet lined the floor leading from a pair of double doors up to the throne itself, which was empty. The entire area felt… off. He couldn't get a good feel of the area except that it felt off for some reason. As he deled further, however, he _felt_ it. Corruption. A heartbeat of corruption, the soul of the Dark Side itself. As his eyes widened at what he was sensing, the heartbeat closed in on him and rang in his ears, rapidly increasing pace until it suddenly stopped altogether.

"So, you have finally come." A powerful growl of a voice called out to him.

As he whipped around, he grabbed for his lightsaber, which wasn't there, and stared at the black person-shaped mass that now occupied the throne.

"Welcome to Dromund Kaas… my Child."

 **AN: Well, that's not ominous at all. What did you think, however? It's painfully obvious who the figure was, but I still want to see theories on who the black mass was and why he called Naruto his child. Speaking of, Naruto's a daddy and he doesn't even know it! The way I figure it, he and Shion got freaky after she propositioned him at the end of the movie and that night produced a child, Makoto. Shion was going to tell him, but the war broke out and by the time Makoto was born and Shion was going to once again tell him, he and the group left with Meetra, leaving her high and dry with an infant.**

 **What do you guys think? Will/Should Makoto play a role in events to come? How do you guys think Naruto will react when he eventually finds out he has a daughter? Will she become a Jedi? A Sith? Theories and suggestions are always welcome! Now, onto the pairings as a whole. Revan and Ino are both in and this is officially a foursome. Should I stop here, or add a couple more, and if so, who? Personally, I'm leaning towards just these three girls and that's it, but I want to see what you guys think!**

 **This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!**


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